La mécanique de Christian Huygens : la relativité du mouvement au XVIIème siècle / Christiane Vilain

The volume tries to set in his right place in the history of mathematics the geometrist of the 17th century, Christian Huygens. Although not enough – or, not enough correctly known and/or acknowledged – Ch. Huygens is the founder of classical and modern physics, in that he created ondulatory optics, established the laws of elastic shock, defined precisely centrifugal force and the momentum of intertia, etc. His “shortcomings” included the absence of a dialectical, all-embracing concept on the discoveries he made and on the phenomena he had taken into thorough study and analysis. The main chapters of the book are devoted to problems of motions relativity, centrifugal force, rotation in a relative space, mechanisms and geometry. The opening chapter – presenting Huygens' biography – adds to the human touch of the approach. Warmly recommended. (Zentralblatt)

Bibliogr. p. 274-287