A central figure in Victorian science, William Whewell (1794–1866) held professorships in Mineralogy and Moral Philosophy at Trinity College, Cambridge, before becoming Master of the college in 1841. His mathematical textbooks, such as A Treatise on Dynamics (1823), were instrumental in bringing French analytical methods into British science. This three-volume history, first published in 1837, is one of Whewell's most famous works. Taking the 'acute, but fruitless, essays of Greek philosophy' as a starting point, it provides a history of the physical sciences that culminates with the mechanics, astronomy, and chemistry of 'modern times'. Volume 2 focuses on the rise and development of modern mechanics in the seventeenth century. Whewell shows how Galileo's laws of motion exemplify a paradigmatic shift from 'formal' to 'physical' sciences - a new approach concerned with explaining causes rather than merely observing phenomena. It also discusses the implications for physical astronomy of Newton's discoveries.
By:
William Whewell Imprint: Cambridge University Press Country of Publication: United Kingdom Volume: Volume 2 Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 140mm,
Spine: 31mm
Weight: 690g ISBN:9781108019255 ISBN 10: 1108019250 Series:History of the Inductive Sciences 3 Volume Set Pages: 552 Publication Date:25 November 2010 Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active