Pieter van Musschenbroek Scientist

Pieter van Musschenbroek (14 March 1692 – 19 September 1761) was a Dutch scientist. He was a professor in Duisburg, Utrecht, and Leiden, where he held positions in mathematics, philosophy, medicine, and astrology. He is credited with the invention of the first capacitor in 1746: the Leyden jar. He performed pioneering work on the buckling of compressed struts. Musschenbroek was also one of the first scientists (1729) to provide detailed descriptions of testing machines for tension, compression, and flexure testing. An early example of a problem in dynamic plasticity was described in the 1739 paper (in the form of the penetration of butter by a wooden stick subjected to impact by a wooden sphere).

Personal facts

Birth date	March 14, 1692
Birth place	Netherlands , Dutch Republic , Leiden
Nationality	Netherlands
Date of death	September 19, 1761
Place of death	Netherlands , Dutch Republic , Leiden
Education	Leiden University
Known for	Leyden jar Tribometer Atmometer