James Watt

James Watt was a Scottish inventor and engineer who lived in the 1700s. He was born in 1736 in Greenock, Scotland, and died in 1819. James Watt is mainly known for improving the steam engine. A steam engine is a machine that uses steam from hot water to create power. His work played an important role during the Industrial Revolution.

As a young man, James Watt showed skill in making and repairing tools. He worked with instruments used for science and measurement. In 1763, he was asked to fix a small steam engine model at the University of Glasgow. While working on it, he noticed that the engine wasted a lot of heat. This problem made the engine slow and costly to use.

James Watt designed a new part called a separate condenser. A condenser is a device that cools steam back into water. By keeping the condenser separate from the main engine, the engine stayed hot while the steam was cooled elsewhere. This change made the steam engine much more efficient. It used less fuel and produced more power.

Watt did not build large engines by himself. He worked with a businessman named Matthew Boulton. Together, they started a company to produce improved steam engines. Their engines were used in factories, mines, and mills. A mill is a building where grain or other materials are processed. These engines helped machines run faster and for longer periods.

James Watt also helped create ways to measure power. He introduced the term horsepower. Horsepower is a unit used to compare the strength of engines. It was based on the work a horse could do. This measurement helped people understand how powerful an engine was and compare different machines.

Later in life, James Watt became well known in Britain. He received honors for his work and lived a quiet life after retiring. His improvements to the steam engine were widely used during his lifetime. James Watt remains closely linked to the spread of steam power and early industrial machines.