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English Summmary
From »Filthy Lane« to the H. C. Oersted Institute
Fra Skidenstræde til H. C. Ørsted Institutet
Preface
Professor Niels Bohr took a great interest in the work of H. C. Oer
sted. Professor Bohr was also President of the Society for the Pro
motion o f Physics and Chemistry, founded by Oersted in 1824.
This Society is still working for increased knowledge of the exact
science and in the memory of H. C. Oersted.
H. C. Oersted’s career began at the Copenhagen University
anno 1800 and was Professor 1806 until his death 1851. Oersted
became one o f the great figures of science as well as of Danish
history. He is internationally known firstly for the discovery of
Electromagnetism, secondly for the Isolation of Aluminium. Our
debt to him is reflected in the naming of the large, newlybuilt
institute for physics, chemistry and mathematics at Copenhagen
University (shown on the back cover of this book).
Professor Bohr pronounced his interest in having elucidated the
location and lay-out of the oldest university laboratory in which
Oersted worked. This pronouncement was brought about by the
faet that the author of this book had placed parts of his research
work before the committee of the old Society. When the manuscript
had been finished, Professor Niels Bohr had died. His successor as
President for the Society, Professor, Dr. Faurholt, has promoted the
publishing of the manuscript and as result of this promotion the
Carlsberg Foundation has defrayed the expenses.
Introduction: Our time, the age o f changes
The scientific, technical, and cultural development which has
taken place within the comparatively short space of time, namely
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