Plural of gilbert; a unit of magnetomotive force in the centimeter-gram-second system, named after physicist William Gilbert.
Named after William Gilbert (1544-1603), the English physicist and physician who pioneered the study of magnetism. The unit was established in the CGS electromagnetic system to honor his contributions to magnetic research.
Amazingly, there are two famous Gilberts in science—William Gilbert (magnetism) and W.S. Gilbert (comedy)! The 'gilbert' as a unit is basically gone now because we use SI units, but it shows how science immortalizes discoveries by naming units after pioneers.
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