engineering

Loftus Perkins

Loftus Perkins is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Loftus Perkins rather than just read about it. In short: Loftus Perkins (8 May 1834 – 27 April 1891) was an English engineer, particularly involved in developing the practical technologies of central heating and refrigeration. Life Perkins was born in London, the son of Angier March Perkins and was likely apprenticed to his father.

Key takeaways

Loftus Perkins belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Loftus Perkins to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Loftus Perkins from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Loftus Perkins (8 May 1834 – 27 April 1891) was an English engineer, particularly involved in developing the practical technologies of central heating and refrigeration.

Life Perkins was born in London, the son of Angier March Perkins and was likely apprenticed to his father. His grandfather, Jacob Perkins, had arrived in England from New England and the family still had many contacts in the U.S. so, in 1853-4 Loftus worked in America. After further work for his father, and in Hamburg and Berlin before establishing the partnership of A. M. Perkins & Son with his father. He devoted his energies to heating and refrigeration and combined great imagination with practical engineering instincts. He also contributed to the development of the steam engine. Among his innovations were:

The "Polly Perkins" - mobile steam ovens for the British Army; Steam ovens for use in bakeries; High-pressure steam tractors; The Anthracite - a 70-ton yacht powered by high-pressure steam; Express - a 160 ft steamship powered by a Perkins 800 horse power quadruple compound engine; the "Arktos" cold chamber (1888) for preserving food.

Family He married Emily Patton (born 1837/8) from New York. Loftus was joined in the family business by his sons:

Loftus Patton Perkins (born 1867); and Ludlow Patton Perkins (1872–1928). Perkins died in London and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery. The firm subsequently merged with Joseph Baker, Sons & Co., as Baker Perkins.

Memberships Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, (1861); Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, (1881)

See also Timeline of low-temperature technology

References

Bibliography Obituaries: The Engineer, 1 May 1891, 349

McConnell, A. (2004) "Perkins, Loftus (1834–1891)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, accessed 21 August 2007 (subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required) Muir, A. (1968). The History of Baker Perkins. Cambridge: W. Heffer & Sons Ltd. The Baker Perkins Historical Society

Illustrations

Loftus Perkins: Loftus Perkins. — Loftus Perkins.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Loftus Perkins

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Loftus Perkins claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Loftus Perkins before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Loftus Perkins ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Loftus Perkins

In research: Loftus Perkins appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Loftus Perkins in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Loftus Perkins is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1834 births, 1891 deaths, 19th-century English engineers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Loftus Perkins outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Loftus Perkins in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Loftus Perkins means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Loftus Perkins out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Loftus Perkins in simple terms?

Loftus Perkins (8 May 1834 – 27 April 1891) was an English engineer, particularly involved in developing the practical technologies of central heating and refrigeration. Life Perkins was born in London, the son of Angier March Perkins and was likely apprenticed to his father.

Why does Loftus Perkins matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Loftus Perkins?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Loftus Perkins.