Oresme, Nicole (c.1325–82)

Author(s):  
George Molland

Nicole Oresme, a French thinker active in the third quarter of the fourteenth century, occupies an important position in late medieval natural philosophy. He was especially notable for his mathematical approach, in which he represented the intensities of qualities and of speeds by geometrical straight lines, which allowed them to be ‘plotted’ in principle against both distance and time. He held that the shapes of the resulting graphs would then have explanatory force in the manner of ancient atomism, but, like the latter, his doctrine had a weak empirical basis. His graphical representations of speed have been compared to those later given by Galileo, but there are no grounds for positing influence. He was prominent in developing a particular mathematical language of ratios, which had earlier been used by Thomas Bradwardine to propose a ‘law’ relating speeds to forces and resistances, and Oresme likewise applied the language to cosmological and physical questions. He was a firm opponent of much of astrology and of magic, and to this end he employed both naturalistic and sceptical arguments. He gave many strong arguments in favour of a daily rotation of the earth, but finally concluded that it was at rest: his gambit had primarily a sceptical and fideistic purpose.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayanava Basak ◽  
Sayanur Rahaman ◽  
Abhishek Guha ◽  
Tanmay Sanyal

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated human civilization throughout the earth. The pandemic is returning in different waves because of constant changes in the genetic components of the virus. Had we been able to predict the nature and timing of these waves earlier, numerous lives could, in essence, have been saved. It is evident that the situation has spiraled out of control in several countries for want of proper preventive measures. In this article, we described a comprehensive mathematical approach to understand the nature of the pandemic waves. Also, we determined the probable timing of the third wave that will help the concerned government(s) to take the necessary steps to better prepare for the unforeseen situation.


1807 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 57-82

Perhaps the solution of no other problem, in natural philo­sophy, has so often baffled the attempts of mathematicians as that of determining the precession of the equinoxes, by the theory of gravity. The phenomenon itself was observed about one hundred and fifty years before the Christian æra, but Sir Isaac Newton was the first who endeavoured to estimate its magnitude by the true principles of motion, combined with the attractive influence of the sun and moon on the spheroidal figure of the earth. It has always been allowed, by those competent to judge, that his investigations relating to the subject evince the same transcendent abilities as are displayed in the other parts of his immortal work, the mathematical Principles of natural Philosophy, but, for more than half a century past, it has been justly asserted that he made a mistake in his process, which rendered his conclusions erro­neous. Since the detection of this error, some of the most eminent mathematicians in Europe have attempted solutions of the problem. Their success has been various; but their investi­gations may be arranged under three general heads. Under the first of these may be placed such as lead to a wrong conclusion, in consequence of a mistake committed in some part of the proceedings. The second head may be allotted to those in which the conclusions may be admitted as just, but rendered so by the counteraction of opposite errors. Such may be ranked under the third head as are conducted without error fatal to the conclusion, and in which the result is as near the truth as the subject seems to admit.


2001 ◽  
Vol 14 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 145-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Jamil Ragep

A passage in Copernicus's De Revolutionibus regarding the rotation of the Earth provides evidence that he was aware, whether directly or indirectly, of an Islamic tradition dealing with this problem that goes back to Na[sdotu]īr al-Dīn al-[Tdotu]ūsī (1201–1274). The most striking similarity is the use of comets by both astronomers to discredit Ptolemy's “proofs” in the Almagest that depended upon observational evidence. The manner in which this question was dealt with by Copernicus, as an astronomical rather than natural philosophical matter, also argues for his being within the tradition of late medieval Islamic astronomy, more so than that of medieval Latin scholasticism. This of course is bolstered by his use of non-Ptolemaic models, such as the [Tdotu]ūsī couple, that have a long history in Islam but virtually none in medieval Europe. Finally, al-Qūshjī, who was in Istanbul just before Copernicus was born, entertained the possibility of the Earth's rotation; this also opens up the possibility of non-textual transmission.


2013 ◽  
pp. 116-123
Author(s):  
Claire Bompaire-Evesque

This article is a inquiry about how Barrès (1862-1923) handles the religious rite of pilgrimage. Barrès stages in his writings three successive forms of pilgrimage, revealing what is sacred to him at different times. The pilgrimage to a museum or to the birthplace of an artist is typical for the egotism and the humanism of the young Barrès, expressed in the Cult of the Self (1888-1891). After his conversion to nationalism, Barrès tries to unite the sons of France and to instill in them a solemn reverence for “the earth and the dead” ; for that purpose he encourages in French Amities (1903) pilgrimages to historical places of national importance (battlefields; birthplace of Joan of Arc), building what Nora later called the Realms of Memory. The third stage of Barrès’ intellectual evolution is exemplified by The Sacred Hill (1913). In this book the writer celebrates the places where “the Spirit blows”, and proves open to a large scale of spiritual forces, reaching back to paganism and forward to integrative syncretism, which aims at unifying “the entire realm of the sacred”.


2019 ◽  
Vol 950 (8) ◽  
pp. 2-11
Author(s):  
S.A. Tolchelnikova ◽  
K.N. Naumov

The Euclidean geometry was developed as a mathematical system due to generalizing thousands years of measurements on the plane and spherical surfaces. The development of celestial mechanics and stellar astronomy confirmed its validity as mathematical principles of natural philosophy, in particular for studying the Solar System bodies’ and Galaxy stars motions. In the non-Euclidean geometries by Lobachevsky and Riemann, the third axiom of modern geometry manuals is substituted. We show that the third axiom of these manuals is a corollary of the Fifth Euclidean postulate. The idea of spherical, Riemannian space of the Universe and local curvatures of space, depending on body mass, was inculcated into celestial mechanics, astronomy and geodesy along with the theory of relativity. The mathematical apparatus of the relativity theory was created from immeasurable quantities


1985 ◽  
Vol 38 (02) ◽  
pp. 216-217
Author(s):  
G. A. Wilkins

New techniques of measurement make it possible in 1984 to determine positions on the surface of the Earth to a much higher precision than was possible in 1884. If we look beyond the requirements of navigation we can see useful applications of global geodetic positioning to centimetric accuracy for such purposes as the control of mapping and the study of crustal movements. These new techniques depend upon observations of external objects, such as satellites or quasars rather than stars, and they require that the positions of these objects and the orientation of the surface of the Earth are both known with respect to an appropriate external reference system that is ‘fixed’ in space. We need networks of observing stations and analysis centres that monitor the motions of the external objects and the rotation of the Earth. Observations of stars by a transit circle are no longer adequate for this purpose.


1949 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-376
Author(s):  
G. W. Tyrrell

In 1899 Sir Archibald Geikie edited and published the third volume of Hutton's Theory of the Earth. The two earlier volumes had been published as far back as 1795. In his preface Sir A. Geikie gives the history of the MS. from which the present volume was printed; and he provides at the end of the work not only an index of Vol. III, but also, and separately, a most valuable index of the two earlier volumes, in which we note three references to Arran. In Vol. Ill, however, the last and longest chapter is devoted to “An Examination of the Mineral History of the Island of Arran” (pp. 191–267).


1992 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-111
Author(s):  
H. Richard Crane

2021 ◽  
pp. 44-48
Author(s):  
O.M. Koryagina

The article defines the main axis and the profiling plane in automatic profiling and stamping lines. Specific recommendations are given for choosing the position of the main axis and the profiling plane, depending on the configuration of the manufactured parts of the roll-formed section. Under the general name of profiling in the practice of stamping works, it is meant to obtain rigid and light profiles of large length and various configurations from sheet blanks. Profiling is carried out in four ways: in dies on crank presses, in dies on special bending presses, on universal bending machines (edging machines), on profiling roller machines. The first method, profiling on crank presses, is used for complex semi-closed and open profiles of relatively small length, if there are no special bending presses or profiling machines. The second method, profiling on special bending presses, is used for open and semiclosed profiles up to 5 mm long. The advantage of such presses is the possibility of using simple, and therefore cheap, tools in the manufacture. The third method, profiling on universal bending machines (edging machines), is used for bending parts (profiles of a simple shape in straight lines with different coupling radii determined by the radius of the machine ruler, for which the latter has a set of rulers). Bending machines allow bending materials of small thickness. Low productivity and the need for physical labor costs limit the use of these machines. The fourth method, profiling on roller machines, is used for open, semi-closed and closed profiles. The essence of the profiling process is to gradually change the profile drawing of a flat belt to a given profile when it is moved sequentially through several pairs of shaped rollers arranged sequentially one after the other in the same plane and rotating at the same speed. The article describes in detail the fourth method; the advantages and disadvantages are noted.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document