Gilberts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Units of magnetomotive force in the older centimetre-gram-second system, named after the physicist William Gilbert
2. Measures of magnetomotive force in the historical CGS system, each named in honour of the English scientist William Gilbert
3. Old electromagnetic units of magnetic force used in the centimetre-gram-second system, named after William Gilbert

Etymology: The gilbert is named for William Gilbert (1544–1603), an English physician and natural philosopher who served as physician to Queen Elizabeth I. His 1600 treatise "De Magnete" was a landmark study of magnetism, arguing that the Earth itself behaves like a giant magnet, and it was there that he laid the groundwork for a systematic study of electrical and magnetic phenomena. The unit was proposed in 1930 to measure magnetomotive force, the magnetic counterpart of voltage. One gilbert equals about 0.7958 ampere-turns, a value chosen so that the unit fits neatly into the centimetre-gram-second system of measurement. "Gilberts" is simply the plural of "gilbert," formed in the usual way by adding an "s" to the noun.