On the legacy of Mikhail Lomonosov and Dmitri Mendeleev
It is a joint excursion programme with the Kunstkamera, the National Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences: On the legacy of Mikhail Lomonosov and Dmitri Mendeleev.
Mikhail Lomonosov was actively engaged in creating various instruments: a universal barometer; a sea barometer; an aerodynamic machine; a device for determining the centre of gravity; and a device for filtration using vacuum. Mikhail Lomonosov describes the principle of operation of piston pumps for lifting water from mines, a device for pumping air into galleries. The Lomonosov Museum in the Kunstkamera houses four piston pumps, which give an idea of the level of vacuum technology at that time. The description of Lomonosov’s proposals for the improvement of the air pump has been preserved.
Dmitri Mendeleev was a brilliant successor of the tradition of Mikhail Lomonosov. His outstanding scientific achievements were recognised all over the world. Dmitri Mendeleev laid the foundations of the theory of solutions and the theory of distillation and separation of oil, and offered the version of smokeless gunpowder. He made an invaluable contribution to the development of science in our country. He was a follower of Mikhail Lomonosov, who wrote that it was necessary "to test everything that can only be measured, weighed and determined by calculation".