History of the Inductive Sciences From the Earliest to the Present Times [Paperback]

Volume 2 of Whewell's 1837 History covers the rise of modern mechanics and Newton's foundational contribution to physical astronomy.Whewells History, published in 1837, surveys the development of the physical sciences from Pythagoras to the early nineteenth century. Volume 2 discusses the rise of modern mechanics and emphasises the paradigmatic shift from mere observation to the explanation of causes that was exemplified by the work of Galileo and Newton.Whewells History, published in 1837, surveys the development of the physical sciences from Pythagoras to the early nineteenth century. Volume 2 discusses the rise of modern mechanics and emphasises the paradigmatic shift from mere observation to the explanation of causes that was exemplified by the work of Galileo and Newton.A central figure in Victorian science, William Whewell (17941866) 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.Part I. The Mechanical Sciences; Book VI. History of Mechanics, Including Fluid Mechanics: 1. Prelude to the epoch of Galileo; 2. Inductive epoch of Galileo. Discovery of the laws of motion lc&