Unrolling Time : Christiaan Huygens and the Mathematization of Nature

Joella G. Yoder

ISBN 10: 0521524814 / ISBN 13: 9780521524810

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2004

About this Item

Druck auf Anfrage Neuware - Printed after ordering - This case study examines the interrelationship between mathematics and physics in the work of one of the major figures of the Scientific Revolution, the Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer, Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695). Professor Yoder offers a detailed account of the discoveries that Huygens made at the end of 1659, including the invention of a pendulum clock that theoretically kept absolutely uniform time, and the creation of a mathematical theory of evolutes. She also describes the way that each of these important discoveries arose from the interaction of Huygens' mathematics and physics. A discussion of Huygens' relationship with other scientists and the priority disputes that sometimes motivated his research help place his work in the context of the period. The reception of Huygens' masterpiece, the Horologium Oscillatorium of 1673 and the place of evolutes in the history of mathematics are also analyzed. Finally, the role of Huygens in the rise of applied mathematics is addressed.

Seller Inventory # 9780521524810

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Unrolling Time : Christiaan Huygens and the Mathematization of Nature
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521524814
• ISBN 13: 9780521524810
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 229W x 152H x 16D millimeters 229 millimeters width by 152 millimeters height by 16 millimeters depth
• Weight: 421 grams

About this title

Synopsis

This case study examines the interrelationship between mathematics and physics in the work of one of the major figures of the Scientific Revolution: the Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer, Christian Huygens (1629–1695). Joella Yoder details the creative interaction that led Huygens to invent a pendulum clock that theoretically beat absolutely uniform time, to measure the constant of gravitational acceleration, to analyze centrifugal force, and to create the mathematical theory of evolutes. In the second half of the book, Dr Yoder places Huygens's work in the context of his time by examining his relationship with other scientists and the priority disputes that sometimes motivated his research. The role of evolutes in the history of mathematics is analyzed; the reception of Huygens's masterpiece, the Horologium Oscillatorium of 1673, is described; and finally, the part that Christian Huygens played in the rise of applied mathematics is addressed.

Review

"In her account of Huygen's mathematical reasonings, Yoder achieves an admirable combination of clarity and concision with faithfulness to the original. Her book casts a new and clear light on a mid-seventeenth-century phase of the scientific revolution." The Eighteenth Century

"...a significant contribution to scholarship on Huygens and to our understanding of scientific thinking in his time." Choice

"...an enlightening, sometimes surprising account fo the 'beautiful, intricate display of creativity.'" Perceptual and Motor Skills

"...Yoder has written a little gem of modern history of science at its scholarly best...it deserves to be read outside the confines of that discipline." Contemporary Physics