VARIGNON, (PIERRE). - FOLLOWING THE ADVISE OF LEIBNITZ.

Methode pour trouver des Courbes le Long desquelles un corps tombant, s'approche ou s'éloigne de l'horizon en telle raison des terms qu'on voudra, & dans quelque hypothese de vitesses que ce soit, &c.

(Paris, Jean Boudot, 1702). 4to. Without wrappers. Extracted from "Mémoires de l'Academie des Sciences. Année 1699". Pp. 1-13 and 1 folded engravedplate.

First printing of a major paper in mathematical physics by Varignon which describes falling bodies by help of the new calculus. "Nevertheless, he (Leibnitz) encouraged Varignon to ceae de bating principles and to start developing mechanical applications of the new mathematics. The questions that Varignon subsequently treated show how faithfully he followed Leibniz's advice."(DSB XIII, p. 586).

"In working with the model of falling bodies, Varignon encountered difficulties in obtaining acceleration as a second derivative. This problem had the advantage, however, of obliging him to reassess the importance of the new differential and integral calculus. His acceptance of the new procedures occurred between 1692 and 1695, and he was among those who gave the most favorable reception to the publication of L’Hospital’s Analyse des infiniment petits in 1696."(DSB).

Order-nr.: 44384