The Scientific Work of René Descartes (1596-1650)

Download or read book The Scientific Work of René Descartes (1596-1650) written by Joseph Frederick Scott and published by . This book was released on 1952 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A work which puts the chief mathematical and physical discoveries of Descartes in an accessible form, for the benefit of English readers, fills an outstanding gap upon the shelf devoted to the history of philosophy and science. Descartes is universally acknowledged to be the founder of modern mathematics through the invention of analytical geometry, and it was no exaggeration when M. Chasles wrote of him that this single revolutionary step changed the face of mathematics. ... Dr. Scott has given us large tracts of the Géométrie carefully paraphrased, retaining almost all the original notation of Descartes as well as the original and often fascinating diagrams...There is here to be found the considerable contribution that Descartes made to the physical sciences, which involved much accurate work in geometrical optics and its bearing upon the practical problem of fashioning lenses, as also the deeper problems of sight and colour. While the theories and results in these matters had not that instant effect upon natural philosophy comparable to the decisive impact of analytical geometry upon mathematics, they none the less partook of a clarity and accuracy which resembles the optical work of Newton, and there is little room to doubt that they formed an essential prelude to the discoveries not only of Newton, but also of Huygens, Hooke and James Gregory. The careful treatment that Dr. Scott has here accorded to this work of Descartes is welcome. It goes far enough into detail by developing the original argument without attempting to cover the whole range of subjects undertaken by Descartes, such as mechanics, glass-grinding, music, biology: and it is put into a proper perspective in regard to former, present and subsequent discoveries..."--