Félix Savart | |
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 Bust of Félix Savart in the Institut de France located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris | |
| Born | 30 June 1791 (1791-06-30) Charleville-Mézières, France |
| Died | 16 March 1841(1841-03-16) (aged 49) Paris, France |
| Alma mater | École polytechnique University of Strasbourg |
| Known for | Savart Savart wheel Biot–Savart law |
| Awards | ForMemRS(1839) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Acoustics Physics |
| Institutions | Collège de France |
Félix Savart (/səˈvɑːr/;[1]French:[savaʁ]; 30 June 1791,Mézières – 16 March 1841, Paris) was a Frenchphysicist andmathematician who is primarily known for theBiot–Savart law of electromagnetism, which he discovered together with his colleagueJean-Baptiste Biot. His main interest was inacoustics and the study ofvibrating bodies.[2] A particular interest in theviolin led him to create an experimentaltrapezoidal model. He gave his name to thesavart, a unit of measurement for musical intervals, and toSavart's wheel—a device he used while investigating the range ofhuman hearing.
Savart was the son of Gérard Savart, an engineer at the military school of Metz. His brother, Nicolas, who was a student at theÉcole Polytechnique and an officer in the engineering corps, did work on vibration. At the military hospital at Metz, Savart studied medicine and later went on to theUniversity of Strasbourg, where he received his medical degree in 1816.[3] Savart became a professor atCollège de France in 1820 and was the co-originator of theBiot–Savart law, along withJean-Baptiste Biot. Together, they worked on the theory ofmagnetism andelectrical currents. Their law was developed and published in 1820.[4] The Biot–Savart law relates magnetic fields to the currents which are their sources.
Savart also studiedacoustics. He developed theSavart wheel which produces sound at specific graduated frequencies using rotating discs.
Félix Savart is the namesake of a unit of measurement for musical intervals, thesavart, though it was actually invented byJoseph Sauveur (Stigler's law of eponymy).
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