Showing papers in "Annals of Science in 1982"
TL;DR: The Rossbank Observatory as mentioned in this paper was one of a chain of British Colonial Observatories which combined with European and Asian observatories in the study of terrestrial magnetism, and it was established in Hobart, Tasmania, by the Governor of Van Diemen's Land, Sir John Franklin, and Captain James Clark Ross, R.N., commanding H.M. ships Erebus and Terror.
Abstract: Summary Rossbank functioned from 1840 to 1854 as one of a chain of British Colonial Observatories which combined with European and Asian observatories in the study of terrestrial magnetism. It was established in Hobart, Tasmania, by the Governor of Van Diemen's Land, Sir John Franklin, and Captain James Clark Ross, R.N., commanding H.M. ships Erebus and Terror. The history and operation of the Rossbank Observatory is related, its instruments described, and the results discussed. Biographical notes on the Observatory staff, with lists of its archives and instruments are provided. A number of previously unpublished pictures show the Observatory in use and the surviving buildings and instruments today.
20 citations
TL;DR: The circle continued to serve Kepler as a central element in his astronomy after the discovery of the elliptical orbit of Mars as discussed by the authors, and the circle also functioned for Kepler in geometry to select the basic polygons, in music to select basic harmonies, and in astrology to select some basic aspects.
Abstract: Summary The metaphysical commitment to the circle as the essential element in the analysis of celestial motion has long been recognized as the hallmark of classical astronomy. What has not always been clear, however, is that the circle continued to serve Kepler as a central element in his astronomy after the discovery of the elliptical orbit of Mars. Moreover, the circle also functioned for Kepler in geometry to select the basic polygons, in music to select the basic harmonies, and in astrology to select the basic aspects. His basic set of polygons consisted of those figures that could be constructed using only a compass and a rule; the set of fundamental harmonies consisted of the consonances of the just intonation; and the traditional set of astrological aspects were enlarged by Kepler to include three new aspects in order to make the astrological set consistent with geometry and music. And as the circle served to unify these three areas, so also did it serve to supply the fundamental answers to astrono...
16 citations
TL;DR: The Reverend Dr John Beale, FRS, DD, and chaplain to Charles II, carried out a vigorous campaign in the early Royal Society for the reform of agriculture, trade, and public education-reforms which signalled his continuing commitment to the ideas not only of Bacon, but of Hartlib and Comenius as well as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Summary The Reverend Dr John Beale, FRS, DD, and chaplain to Charles II, carried out a vigorous campaign in the early Royal Society for the reform of agriculture, trade, and public education-reforms which signalled his continuing commitment to the ideas not only of Bacon, but of Hartlib and Comenius as well. In addition to promoting orchard plantations and expanded commercial horticulture, he collaborated with Evelyn, Oldenburg, and Houghton to publish or publicize items on the improvement of agriculture and the national economy. His later writings, including the unfinished manifesto ‘From Utopia’, also identify the ‘mercantilist’ thought of Thomas Mun as a crucial link in Beale's alignment of technology, socioeconomic reform, and the religious and ethical values of Christian humanism.
16 citations
TL;DR: Geikie's view of the Ice Age was based on a theoretical framework supplied by the climatic physics of James Croll as discussed by the authors, and was first presented to the geological public in 1874.
Abstract: Summary James Geikie's Great Ice Age (1874) first presented to the geological public the Pleistocene. modern interpretation of alternating mild and cold periods during the Though it was supported by geological evidence, Geikie's view of the Ice Age was based on a theoretical framework supplied by the climatic physics of James Croll. Mid-nineteenth-century British geologists had encountered great difficulty in making sense out of the varied and complicated glacial deposits, or ‘drift’, and had formulated the ‘iceberg’ theory to account for the apparent chaos of the drift, an explanation which discouraged its stratigraphic study. The reaffirmation of faith in continental glaciation by several Scottish geologists in the 1850s brought with it a belief in an eventful Pleistocene, but it remained difficult to discover the events of Ice Age history from study of the glacial deposits. In 1864 Croll presented a detailed climatic history of the Ice Age deduced from astronomy and physical geography. By 1871 James Ge...
13 citations
TL;DR: Forbes' critical examination of the probabilistic reasoning which led John Michell to infer a physical connection between optically double and multiple stars is analysed in this article, where it is argued that despite the interpretations of its nineteenth-century defenders, Michell's reasoning has some force which does not depend upon questionable Bayesian principles.
Abstract: Summary James Forbes' critical examination of the probabilistic reasoning, which led John Michell to infer a physical connection between optically double and multiple stars, is analysed. It is argued that despite the interpretations of its nineteenth-century defenders, Michell's reasoning has some force which does not depend upon questionable Bayesian principles. Attention is drawn to some of the ambiguities concerning the notion of randomness, and it is shown that these ambiguities render Forbes' objections less than conclusive.
12 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that this usage evolved from Fontaine's "fluxio-differential method" of the early 1730s, and extend the thesis enunciated in an earlier paper in this journal.
Abstract: Summary Alexis Fontaine des Bertins (1704–1771) was the first French mathematician to make use of the calculus of several variables in the integration of ordinary differential equations (1738). In this paper I argue that this usage evolved from Fontaine's ‘fluxio-differential method’ of the early 1730s. In this way I extend the thesis enunciated in an earlier paper in this journal.
11 citations
TL;DR: The Danish chemist Julius Thomsen (1826-1909) is best known for his contributions to thermochemistry and was a pronounced atomist and a tireless advocate of neo-Proutian views as to the constitution of matter.
Abstract: Summary In the history of chemistry, the Danish chemist Julius Thomsen (1826–1909) is best known for his contributions to thermochemistry. Throughout his life, he was a pronounced atomist and a tireless advocate of neo-Proutian views as to the constitution of matter. On many occasions, especially in his later years, he engaged in speculations concerning the unity of matter and the complexity of atoms. In this engagement, Thomsen was alone in Danish chemistry, but his works were representative of a large number of 19th-century chemists, particularly in England and Germany. Thomsen's ideas as to the constitution of matter, the periodic system and the noble gases, may be seen as typical of this vigorous trend in fin de siecle chemistry.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a sequence of controversies connected with self-induction, on techniques of telephony, on electrical measurement, on lightning conductors and on matters of professional ethics, in which the parts played by evidence, by theory and by authority were strangely mixed.
Abstract: Summary Through 1886 to 1889 understanding of the mechanism of telephone transmission was transformed from an electrostatic and traditional view to an electrodynamic one conforming with Maxwell's scheme. Observed at the level of commercial application this painful adjustment occurred via a sequence of controversies connected with self-induction—on techniques of telephony, on electrical measurement, on lightning conductors and on matters of professional ethics—in which the parts played by evidence, by theory, and by authority were strangely mixed. The well-known confrontation of O. Heaviside and W. H. Preece was at the centre of the debate. An open division between traditionalists and progressives amongst electrical engineers was provoked, and the effectiveness of mathematical theory as against pure pragmatism at the practical level had in the end to be conceded.
7 citations
TL;DR: The first professorship of experimental philosophy at the London Institution was held by W. R. Grove from March 1841 until the end of 1845 as discussed by the authors, who was the first Professor of Experimental Philosophy at the Institution.
Abstract: Summary From March 1841 until the end of 1845, W. R. Grove held the post of Professor of Experimental Philosophy at the London Institution. No previous study of the Institution has dealt in detail with the period of Grove's tenure of this, the first professorship. Here, by reference to the various manuscripts and publications of the Institution, and to Grove's papers and correspondence, it is possible to describe the background to Grove's appointment and the achievements of his term of office.
7 citations
TL;DR: A translation of Kant's early paper, "Die Frage, ob die Erde veralte, physikalisch erwogen" ( ‘The question, whether the Earth is ageing, considered physically’) is presented, and the main features of his position on this question in 1754 are summarized as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Summary A translation of Kant's early paper, ‘Die Frage, ob die Erde veralte, physikalisch erwogen’ (‘The question, whether the Earth is ageing, considered physically’) is presented, and the main features of his position on this question in 1754 are summarized. In that year, Kant believed that the Earth was ageing, and that it was about 6000 years old. The paper allows us to understand the approximate outline of Kant's general ‘theory of the Earth’, and the relation of this theory to the cosmogony that he propounded in 1755. His ideas on the processes of erosion, and the formation of rivers, deltas and sandbanks, are noteworthy, and provide a contribution to the eighteenth-century literature on the denudation dilemma. Kant's general theory of erosion and deposition was, it seems, based to a significant extent on his knowledge of the geographical features of the Konigsberg district. The general teleological position underpinning his philosophy may be discerned in this early paper, and he may be thought of ...
7 citations
TL;DR: Examination of the roles which science played in the town's major cultural institutions suggests that most of Liverpool's wealthier citizens saw science as merely one component of a general literary culture; a polite, recreational form of science was best suited for this role.
Abstract: Summary This paper seeks to describe the attitudes to science of the higher classes of Liverpool in the early nineteenth century. It does so by examining the roles which science played in the town's major cultural institutions. Consideration of the membership and activities of these societies suggests that most of Liverpool's wealthier citizens saw science as merely one component of a general literary culture; a polite, recreational form of science was best suited for this role. A small group of middle-class men held science in much higher esteem, valuing it particularly as an educational tool. This function was best fulfilled, they believed, by a mathematical and experimental form of science, but few of their fellow citizens shared their opinions and successive attempts to teach this form of science foundered.
TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis of the experimental data of the Galileo spacecraft has been presented, based on the analysis of its experimental data, and the results are presented in Table 1.
Abstract: (1982). Analysis of Galileo's experimental data. Annals of Science: Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 389-397.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine current assumptions about the medieval origins of the sandglass and underline the defective nature of our knowledge and suggest a possible etymology for an unusual fifteenth-century English term for the instrument.
Abstract: Summary The first note examines current assumptions about the medieval origins of the sand-glass and underlines the defective nature of our knowledge. The second note suggests a possible etymology for an unusual fifteenth-century English term for the instrument. The third note assembles such evidence as can be found on the price of sand-glasses and the structure of the trade that produced them.
TL;DR: A re-examination of the manuscript of John Farey's unpublished mineral survey of south-east Sutherland, together with his published opinions on the significance of fossils from the Brora Coalfield and his interpretation of the stratigraphy of that coalfield, leaves no doubt that, contrary to the accepted view, Farey did not recognise the Mesozoic age of the brora beds but thought of it as Carboniferous as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Summary Re-examination of the manuscript of John Farey's unpublished mineral survey of south-east Sutherland, together with his published opinions on the significance of fossils from the Brora Coalfield and his interpretation of the stratigraphy of that coalfield, leaves no doubt that, contrary to the accepted view, Farey did not recognise the Mesozoic age of the Brora Coalfield but thought of it as Carboniferous. Farey was a Smithian geologist, and the difficulty he had in interpreting unfamiliar evidence from Brora illustrates the difficulties experienced by bio-stratigraphers in the 1810s when fossil ranges were imperfectly understood. Evidence is presented which suggests that the first geologist to recognise the Mesozoic age of the Brora beds may have been John MacCulloch.
TL;DR: In this paper, it is argued that the carvings embodied a sixteenth-century, Neoplatonic, concept of fossils, a concept that was outdated in Beringer's time.
Abstract: Summary This paper deals with a major problem of the early days of the science of palaeontology, the nature and origin of fossils. In 1725, the German physician and academician, Dr Johann Beringer, was deceived into believing that fraudulent, carved stones were true fossils. Despite an extensive analysis, Beringer was not able to fit his ‘fossils’ to any contemporary concept of how fossils originate. The reason for Beringer's inability to classify his stones is explored here. It is argued that the carvings embodied a sixteenth-century, Neoplatonic, concept of fossils, a concept that was outdated in Beringer's time. Beringer chose not to explain his stones rather than to accept the meaning they implied.
TL;DR: Hutton held shares in the company that built the Forth and Clyde canal and was closely involved in its construction for seven years, attending meetings on and off the site, helping to decide on the route, the supply of building stone and other problems.
Abstract: Summary James Hutton held shares in the company that built the Forth and Clyde canal, and was closely involved in its construction. For seven years he attended meetings on and off the site, helping to decide on the route, the supply of building stone and other problems. As far as we know it is the only occasion on which he used his geological knowledge in a public enterprise.
TL;DR: In this paper, a paper by Nicolas Beguelin, which compared the Newtonian emission theory of light and the wave theory of Leonhard Euler, is studied, and it is shown that neither of them brought the debate to an end.
Abstract: Summary In the second half of the eighteenth century a lively debate was going on in Germany about the nature of light. One important contribution to this discussion, namely a paper by Nicolas Beguelin, is studied in this article. In his essay, Beguelin compared the Newtonian emission theory of light and the wave theory of Leonhard Euler. Whereas others opted for one of the two theories by invoking arguments or authorities, Beguelin made a systematic search for experiments which he hoped would settle the dispute. Two of these experiments were most original. The first, which Beguelin himself performed, concerned light rays grazing a glass surface. For several reasons it did not have the impact it deserved. The second one was a thought experiment which was meant to illustrate a major tenet of the wave theory, that is, the analogy between light and sound. An analysis is given of these two experiments, and it is shown that neither of them brought the debate to an end.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a model for the Galileo's law of fall: absolute truth or approximation, which they called the "absolute truth" or "approximation".
Abstract: (1982). Galileo's law of fall: Absolute truth or approximation. Annals of Science: Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 384-389.
TL;DR: In this paper, Naylor's error in analysing experimental data was pointed out, and the error was corrected by Naylor and his co-authors, in a paper entitled "R.H.Naylor's Error in Analyzing Experimental Data".
Abstract: (1982). Note on R.H. Naylor's error in analysing experimental data. Annals of Science: Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 381-384.
TL;DR: In this paper, it is shown that the supposed disagreement as to the existence of a solar motion is illusory and that the estimates of Herschel and Prevost do not represent responses to the factual question as to whether or not the Sun moved, but rather those to the heuristic question of what value of the probable solar motion one should assume.
Abstract: Summary It is traditionally held that Mayer denied the existence of a solar motion while Herschel and Prevost, using much the same data, demonstrated its presence. The existence of such diverse conclusions has not, however, been satisfactorily explained. It is shown here that the supposed disagreement as to the existence of a solar motion is illusory. Mayer did not make the denial attributed to him; and the estimates of Herschel and Prevost do not represent responses to the factual question as to whether or not the Sun moved, but rather those to the heuristic question as to what value of the probable solar motion one should assume. The analyses behind these estimates are reported and shown to be well matched to the combination of question and available data. The conceptual context of Herschel's and Prevost's work is discussed. And a brief comparison is made with the later investigations into the systematic motions of the stars.