Raffaele Pisano

In this paper, we examine Newton’s concept of absolute space. We aim at clarifying: (1) the reasons that led Newton to introduce this notion; (2) the arguments he used to justify its existence; (3) the relationship between absolute space and the principle of inertia; and (4) the role of absolute space within Newtonian physics. We then analyse the criticisms raised by Leibniz and Mach, focusing on their specific arguments rather than their broader philosophical frameworks, due to the space limitations of this article. We conclude by discussing Einstein’s views, particularly how his theory of relativity ultimately ruled out the existence of absolute space and time. Nevertheless, we argue that in the context of Newtonian physics, the concept of absolute space was not at all absurd, even if it presented certain conceptual difficulties. The paper ends with an appendix highlighting noteworthy annotations from the editors of the Geneva Edition to Proposition XIX of the third book of Newton’s Principia.

This essay deals with Newton Principia Geneva Edition Special Issue. It presents scientific-historical-editorial Newtonian arguments in the EU context, such as an introduction to the theme of the special issue. We look at Newton’s Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica Geneva Edition ([1739–1742] 1822) as the perspective center from which scientific topics, such as the foundations of classical mechanics and its methodology, as well as other subjects connected to the contextual history of science can be seen. This encompasses the legacy of Newton’s mechanics and the popularization of his ideas, particularly as they relate to the different editions of his works. Thus, we outline the structure of the Geneva Edition and provide justification for our claims about his pivotal role in the scientific discourse and policy of science in the first half of the 18th century. We reference the edition printed in 1822, which offers improvements over earlier versions.

This essay presents an intellectual historical analysis on the role played by mathematics, natural phenomena, machines and machineries in the Middle Age, early & late Renaissance, and its correlated necessary culture and skill to build them. I will present how relations between theoretical science and the construction of machines cannot be taken for granted, a priori. For, I will exploit examples and six open key points on sciences, mathematics, machines and their builders. Particularly, a discussion concerning the relationship between science–theory and the development of science––art crafts produced by non-recognized scientists in a certain historical time is also presented. The main questions are: when and why did the tension between science (physics, mathematics and geometry) give rise to a new scientific approach to applied discipline such as studies on machines and machineries? What kind of science was used (if at all) for projecting machines and their machineries? Was science at the time a necessary precondition to build a machine? I also review functioning machines constructed by people who may ignored physical theory, whereas, in other cases, the ignorance of some principles—as well as the impossibility of a perpetuum mobile—induced the attempt to construct impossible machines.

Amid the rise of Classical Latin and Greek texts in the late Middle Ages, we see the emergence of works on mathematics, geometry, and mechanics that would have an indelible impact on design, especially architecture, and the rise of Europe’s cities. This includes the rise of late Renaissance domed cathedrals, the construction of new bridges, and the formation of new civic and commercial spaces. It also includes military science and technology, especially ballistic weapons and the construction of fortifications. Among the Italian innovators in these fields were Alberti, da Vinci, Bramante, Bernini, and Galileo, among many others, and German and French author–architects include Dürer, du Cerceau, Delorme, and Bullant. They were all imbued in the mathematical and mechanical sciences and their practical applications in design.

This first of a two-part volume (Book I) deals with a unit intellectual cultural history of science in the Renaissance within fundamental frameworks. An intellectual cultural history of science examines how human and their intellectual experiences have been expressed in, and emerged by scientific ideas. Taking into account the excellence of the essays – which cover several branches and disciplines in history and epistemology of science – this book also provides perspectives on the enduring influence of a historiographical tradition, e.g., the emergence of fundamental works on mathematics and geometry, household’s principal functions, food and culture, clock instrumentation, surgery as a practical branch of medicine. It describes the ways it differently accounted for variation in unlike countries and consequently how its results remain, still nowadays, a debated question, as well as due to constraints preventing an extensive exploration of its remarkable historiography. This volume gathers selected and double peer review contributions by historians of physics/mathematics/science as new fundamental perceptions in the history of science during the Renaissance, ranging across several fields of science within its intellectual and cultural history. The book is an accessible avenue to understanding cultural issues to develop scientific ideas by leading authorities who offer much-needed historical insights into the field of intellectual and fundamental history of science. It provides an absorbing and revealing read for historians, philosophers and scientists alike.

This second of a two-part volume (Book II) extends the historical–scientific inquiry of first-part volume (Book I) by considering other specific case studies within cultural, fundamental & technological frameworks. An intellectual cultural history of science & technology examines how human and their applied sciences-experiences have been expressed in, and trained by ideas and technologies. The contributors explain ways in which the sciences allowed advanced modelling on the one hand, and the development of new technological ideas on the other hand, including methods and theories, institutions, engineering devices/instrumentation and social implications as well. Taking into account the excellence of the essays, the book covers several branches and disciplines in science & technology, e.g., theoretical mathematics and the empirical work, machinery and mechanisms, stored information, transportation, inquiring methods in history and historiography of science & technology. It describes the ways it differently accounted for variation in unlike contexts and consequently how its results remain, still nowadays, a debated question, as well as due to constraints preventing an extensive exploration of its remarkable historiography. The book gathers selected and double peer review contributions by historians of physics/mathematics/engineering/science as new perceptions of the history of science during the Renaissance ranging across several fields of science within its fundamental, cultural & technological history. The volume is an accessible avenue to understanding cultural ideas & technologies by leading authorities who offer much-needed historical insights into the field of and intellectual history of science & technology. It provides an absorbing and revealing read for historians, philosophers, and scientists alike.

The decomposition of forces, the movement of the gravity centre of a body or of a system of bodies, the impact and its rules are among the numerous crucial contributions given by Newton in his Principia. In the section Axiomata sive leges motus of his masterpiece Newton gave the fundamentals of these three topics. He was very clear, but he did not offer many examples and applications of his concepts. In contrast to this approach, the editors of the Geneva Edition supply a long series of examples and explanations in the notes (s) 24–105 of the first Book. Such notes are particularly significant for the history of mathematics and physics because they allow us to understand what the problems related to the theory of collisions, the construction of machines, the movement of the gravity centre of system of bodies or of a rigid body were. Therefore, the exposition of the main content of these notes will allow the reader to grasp how Newton’s approach was developed and used in the 30 s of the eighteenth century in order to solve a series of both practical and theoretical problems, but it also will permit us to understand the interrelation between Newtonian and non-Newtonian concepts within physics.

James Clerk Maxwell[aut]Maxwell, James ClerkadvancedIEMNElectromagnetic theoryItaly, whileLille University also mathematically enlarging Michael Faraday’s[aut]Faraday, Michael works. He declined NewtonianNewtonian mechanics for the formulation of new conceptual frameworks because more adequate for describing a field of new phenomenaPhenomena such as electromagnetism; so he also went beyondBeyond the Newtonian paradigmParadigm introducing a novelty in the relationship physics–mathematics based on new magnitudes, e.g., electric charge and energy instead of mass and force. However, through exactly which terms were these advances made? In particular, in A Treatise on ElectricityElectricityand MagnetismMagnetism, II, Part IV, Chapter IV–VII (1873) Maxwell aimed to formulate a dynamical justification for field equations; he focused on the fact that magnetic field appeared a complete kineticKineticenergy systemSystem. In this paper, we analyse and describe both: (a) what he called, Lagrange’s method of reducing the ordinary dynamical equations in Mécanique analytique (1788)––including––three methods used by Maxwell for expressing the kineticKineticenergy––detecting the existence of the terms of the form Tme, and (b) the application of the Lagrangian formulating through the equations of motion of a connected system.

Boltzmann’s H-theoremH-theorem(1872) was explicitlyLille UniversityconceivedIEMN in order to proofProof Clausius’ Second LawLaw (1850s) and for cyclicCyclicprocessesProcess only (1854). Secondary literature used to join the function EE function, in Boltzmann’s 1872–paper, to the development of EntropyEntropy. However, Clausius’ Second Law for cyclical processes did not deal with Entropy; moreover, in a cyclic processProcess, entropy variation, being a state function, is necessarily equal to zero. Later, Clausius introduced the Entropy quantity in order to settle the framework of non-cyclic processes mathematically (1865; 1872). In this paper we will shed light on this issue through the textual analysisAnalysis of Clausius and Boltzmann’s seminal works; a critical discussion of the main historiographyHistoriography of the H-theoremH-theorem and its interplay with EntropyEntropy will be presented as well.

As this entire bookIEMNstands in homageLille Universityto Salvo D'Agostino[aut]D’Agostino Salvo, the following section is designed as an initial introduction of Salvo[aut]Salvo to the reader. I have only covered some recent events and images of Salvo, leaving, instead the next three devoted chapters to present him in more depth, both the essays—published in this volume in his honourHonour–and to tell of, in as much detail as possible, and in chronological sequence, his extremely long lifeLong-life––and–– career as a University professor in Physics and History of physicsHistory of Physics. I call to the reader’s attention that at the end of this volumeVolume is also found the long list of publicationsPublication produced by Salvo[aut]Salvo.

By means of his finestLille UniversityintellectualIntellectualvisionIEMNof history of physicsHistory of Physics and science, Salvo D’Agostino[aut]D’Agostino Salvo continuously published for more than fifty-five years, crossing two centuries. Other several works are unpublished or remain in pre-print (see below); and others could be unknown, as well. Below the huge list of Salvo[aut]Salvo Dagostino’s References has been collected by Raffaele Pisano[aut]Pisano, Raffaele in collaboration with Pasquale Tucci[aut]Tucci, Pasquale, Arcangelo Rossi[aut]Rossi, Arcangeloand Caterina[aut]Caterina D’Agostino. The reader will also find previously unseen images of Salvo D’Agostino[aut]D’Agostino Salvo (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4). They are a kind courtesy—and—authorised by Caterina D’Agostino[aut]D’Agostino, Caterina, Salvo’s daughter.

Based on the previousDIUM celebratory chapterIEMNon SalvoLille University D’Agostino (1921–2020), this section aims to introduce the research essays written in his honourHonour. In this chapter the reader will find summaries of the papers in this book (accordingly with its five parts and in alphabetical order) which have been considered as an homage to Salvo D’Agostino. We note that in the end of the book the reader will also find the long list of publicationsPublication by Salvo D’Agostino[aut]D’Agostino Salvo.

In the twentieth century, althoughDIUMevidentItalyand remarkableIEMN works correctly studied Galileo’s[aut]GalileoInertiaInertia, giving fundamental insights, they did not grasp the nuances of Galileo’s[aut]Galileoconcept, ideaIdeas and mechanism of Inertia in its intellectualIntellectual subtlety. Galileo offered crucial insights on the concept of inertia, and there are many studies on this subject. We think that much investigation remains before the processus of Galileo’s scientific thought is complete, and we can fully appreciate both his uncertainties and understandings in the field. We think that a full understanding of some aspects of Galileo’s concept of inertia is lacking. We try to fulfil this gap. This paper deals with Galileo’s[aut]GalileoconceptualisationConceptualisationof InertiaInertia as presented in the First Two Days of Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondoDialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondotolemaico e copernicano (1632) and Last Two Days of DiscorsiDiscorsie dimostrazioni matematiche intorno a due nuove scienze (1638). Our work consists in three main parts: scientific, historical, and historiographical. (1) After introducing Inertia scientifically, we present it into historical research from its embryonic statements respectively as ImpetusImpetus, lawsLaw and incorporated into PrinciplePrincipleof virtual lawsLaw. (2) We historically analyse Galileo’s[aut]GalileoinertialInertial paths, showing how, in specific physicalPhysical–geometrical circumstances, his ideasIdeas confront both circular and rectilinear InertiaRectilinear inertia. (3) We examine and discuss some of the most influential historiographical contributions in the range of Galileo’s Inertia––and––his mechanics. Our paper intends to offer an additional analysisAnalysis on the subject within the history of physicsHistory of Physics––and––intellectualIntellectual history of ideasIdeas, including both the relationship between physics–mathematics and the current historiographical debate.

The book gathers several contributions by historians of physics, philosophers of science and scientists as new essays in the history of physics ranging across the entire field, related in most instances to the works of Salvo D'Agostino (1921-2020), one of the field's most prominent scholars since the second half of the past century. A phenomenon is an observable measurable fact, including data modelling, assumptions/laws. A mechanical phenomenon is associated to equilibrium/motion. Are all mechanisms mechanisms of a phenomenon? Scholars with different backgrounds discuss mechanism/phenomena from an historical point of view. The book is also devoted to understanding of causations of disequilibrium (shock, gravitational, attraction/repulsion, inertia, entropy, etc.), including changes/interaction in the framework of irregular cases of modern physics as well. The book is an accessible avenue to understanding phenomena, ideas and mechanisms by leading authorities who offer much-needed historical insights into the field and on the relationship Physics–Mathematics. It provides an absorbing and revealing read for historians, philosophers and scientists alike.

In this chapter, we present the concept of force in Kepler. We follow the development of this concept during Kepler’s scientific career, starting from his early considerations in the Mysterium Cosmographicum (1596) until his ripest conceptions expounded in the Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae (1618–1621). Kepler tried to supply a dynamical explanation to the planetary movements. This is an important novelty because astronomy was traditionally a kinematical science. Based on the main accredited literature we present a historical account and theoretical/nature of science (NoS) developments: (1) Keplerian forces; (2) physical astronomy; and (3) orbits, force, and the relation between distances and forces. Koyré had a prominent role in the studies on astronomical revolution and on Kepler. He was also important in fully clarifying the pivotal function that physical astronomy—and hence the concept of force—had in Kepler’s system of the world. Indeed, Koyré is still nowadays an almost unavoidable reference point for Kepler’s Forschung. We refer to several interpretations of his. This is the reason why we think appropriate to present this work in homage to Alexandre Koyré.

In this paper, we deal with Torricelli’s principle in mechanics according to which two heavy bodies linked together cannot move by themselves unless their common centre of gravity descends. At the beginning of the De motu gravium naturaliter descendentium, in his Opera geometrica (1644), Evangelista Torricelli (1608–1647) expressed this principle in a very brief section entitled Praemittamus. Our aim is to sustain the idea that Torricelli was constructing a general view of a kind of physics based on general principles, of which the previous one is the most important and explicit statement. In our discussion, the following themes are addressed: (1) a comparison between the Torricelli’s principle and the virtual work principle; (2) the role of Torricelli principle within the history of the virtual work principle; (3) the logic behind the demonstrations offered in physics relying on general principles such as that of Torricelli.

InCelebratingthisDIUMessayHistoriographywe describeIEMNTorricelli’s lifeLille Universityand worksUdine University in their scientific context, including the ArchimedeanArchimedean heritage in Torricelli’s works. We analyse the changes of Torricelli’s works and explain the novelties of the edition we are offering. Then, we provide a picture of the most significant results obtained by Torricelli (1608–1647), particularly in mechanicsMechanicsand geometryGeometry. Furthermore, we also focus on the Torricelli’s methodology, specifying how he provedProved two of his achievements, given their novelty and mathematical meaning: (a) the volumeVolume of the “solido acutissimo”; (b) the geometryGeometryof theLogarithmic Spirallogarithmic spiralGeometric Spiral. AnContent ad hoc ad hocAd hocContentContent of the Opera geometricaOpera geometrica is proposed as well. It is based on the original chronological sequences of the contentsContent wrote by Torricelli. This is important to evaluate the birth of the scientific matters presented by Torricelli and the editorial process of the publicationPublication.

Two topics, Science and History, have been studied for centuries, if not millennia, often in disjointed ways. The realization that Science is nourished by its History is quite obvious nowadays and is a standpoint shared by all the contributors in this book. Given this fact, the following chapters were written by interdisciplinary scholars who are experts in this field. The admirably written contributions concern History of Science, Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, but are not restricted to these disciplines. They also discuss theoretical perspectives and ingenious results achieved by beautiful and clever minds working together or inspired by one another. Torricelli’s history is a fascinating one, filled with struggles and insights that have been studied and examined in depth by internationally renowned specialists. The gripping stories reconstructed, as well as the epistemological and logical threads drawn from long and painstaking research, are presented in a clear and absorbing fashion, in each instance with a unique style and always with considerably talented analysis. The preceding celebratory historical and historiographical chapter on Opera geometrica (Torricelli in Opera geometrica. Florentiae. Masse & de Landis (1644); Torricelli in Opere di Evangelista Torricelli edite in occasione del III centenario della nascita col concorso del Comune di Faenza da Gino Loria e Giuseppe Vassura. Montanari (1919–1944)) is also a structured introductory essay to the contents of this extensive Springer research project. Below, the reader will find summaries of selected distinguished essays written in order to celebrate the magnificence of Torricelli’s Opera geometrica. The whole volume has to be considered as an homage both to Opera geometrica and to Evangelista, a genial scientist.

Evangelista Torricelli exemplifies the use the moderns made of the ancients' mathematical methods. Celebrating Evangelista Torricelli's monumental Opera geometrica, this book marks 380 years since its publication (1644-2024). This homage to Torricelli introduces the magnificent major work in Mechanics and Mathematics of a brilliant Archimedean–and–Galilean scientist to modern readers. Opera geometrica deals with Motion & Mechanics and Geometry & Infinitesimals. In quibus Archimedis doctrina Torricelli also presents his mechanical principle of equilibrium – the foundation of the modern Principle of Virtual Work/Static. This outstanding source and research book spotlights the relevance and originality of Torricelli’s Mechanics, and is the first and most profound analysis of the Opera geometrica to date. The historical study is achieved in extensive Introduction, 5 Essays and an accurate Transcription of Opera geometrica with parallel side–by–side text, including substantive explicative notes. The book is an accessible avenue to understanding this work by leading authorities who offer much-needed insights into the relationship Physics–Mathematics, Mechanics and Fundamentals. It appeals to historians, epistemologist and scientists.