James Challis
Published: 2015-06-16
Total Pages: 151
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Excerpt from An Essay on the Mathematical Principles of Physics: With Reference To; The Study With the view of assisting to form a judgment on its essential character, and on the necessity arising therefrom for adopting it, I propose to make in this Introduction some brief remarks on the antecedent history and actual state of the theoretical department of Physics. All theoretical investigation is carried on by means of calculation, and the calculation is not simply algebraic, but consists essentially of the formation, according to given conditions, of differential equations, and the solutions of them by the rules of analysis. Newton is therefore to be regarded as the founder of theoretical philosophy, having in his Principia, by reasoning of which there had been no previous example, virtually formed and solved the differential equations which are necessary for calculating the motions of the Moon, the Earth, and the Planets with their satellites. And because these calculations rested on the hypothesis of an attractive force varying with distance according to the law of the inverse square, the motions, by being thus calculated, were referred to an operative cause. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.