Issac Newton(04Jan1643 – 31Mar1727)-Wushuang Bai

Introduction

Issac Newton was acknowledged as one of the most

famous and influential scientist in the entire scientific

development history. Much of our current mathematics, optics,

mechanics and gravitation theories were established based on

his earlier theoretical invention and creation. This brief

biography will focus on both his life and his scientific

contribution.

Childhood and student life

Newton was born at Woolsthorpe Manor in

Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth on 04Jan1643. His mother

remarried when he was three, however he didn't have a good relationship with his mother and

stepfather. Between twelve and eighteen he completed his high school education under the

pressure and threats of being removed from school with a perfect graduate report.

He was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge in June 1661 and was conferred the

degree in 1665. Then he concentrated on his research of calculus, optics and the law of

gravitation from 1665 to 1667 due to the close of the university as a reaction to the Great

Plague.

Newton backed to Cambridge in April 1667 to continue his study and later was elected

as a fellow of trinity. In 1669, his manuscript was shared to British mathematician John

Collins by his mentor Issac Barrow, which drew attention from the mathematics community

for the first time. Later Barrow resigned his Lucasian professorship at Cambridge which was

conferred to Newton.

Middle years and his contribution to science

Newton made many historical development mainly in his late student life and his middle

years.

Optics

The main achievement of optics from Newton was the observation that the prism

refracts different colors by different angles, as well as the argument that light is composed of

particles or corpuscles.

Mathematics

For mathematics, the main achievement was calculus, generalised binomial theorem,

Newton's identities, Newton's method and so forth. His work was said to distinctly advance

every branch of mathematics then studied.

Mechanics and gravitation

For mechanics and gravitation, he worked on celestial mechanics. And he published the

Principia in 1687 where the three universal laws of motion were come up with which have

been used by people until now.

References

1. http://www.history.com/topics/isaac-newton

2. https://www.newton.ac.uk/about/isaac-newton/life

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton

John Harrison (1693 – 1776): The Abridged Biography

Gregory Bicknell

John Harrison was an 18th century kinematician who is best

remembered for building the first device that could be used to calculate

longitude while at sea. He was born in the Spring of 1693, in the

village of Foulby in West Yorkshire, England. Harrison’s father was a

carpenter, and taught John many of the skills he would need to solve

the problem of calculating longitude at sea. At a young age, Harrison

became interested in clocks and soon after becoming a carpenter, he

moved into the profession of clock-making. Harrison established

himself as a reputable clockmaker, and was commissioned to make a

turret clock at Brocklesby, in North Lincolnshire, England. This clock

is still running to this day, almost three hundred years after Harrison built it.

Harrison’s work on sea clocks led him to his interest in solving the problem of

calculating longitude at sea. The globe is broken up into a series of North-to-South gridlines

called longitudinal lines, and East-to-West gridlines called latitudinal lines. Sailors used these

gridlines to calculate their location, but due to the inaccurate nature of calculating longitude,

many shipwrecks and deaths occurred leading up to the 18th century. Thanks to a number of

advancements made in the field of clock-making, John Harrison was able to make the H4, a sea

watch that kept impeccable time. The H4 was made from the most cutting-edge materials of the

time, which allowed the watch to compensate for fluctuations in temperature at sea. The H4

looks like an oversized pocket-watch, by today’s standards, and it took Harrison six years to

build.

Harrison’s H4 sea watch was put to the test on November 18, 1761, when it set sail on the

HMS Deptford from Portsmouth, England to Kingston, Jamaica. Over the entirety of the 81-day

journey, the H4 lost 3 minutes and 36.5 seconds. This loss of time converts to an error of 1.25

longitudinal minutes, about one nautical mile. To date, this was the most accurate longitudinal

measurement ever taken.

For solving the problem of calculating longitude at sea, Harrison was given various

monetary prizes from British Parliament and the Board of longitude, amounting to £23,065. This

amount of money in the 1770’s would make Harrison a multi-millionaire today. Harrison died at

the age of 83 and was laid to rest in Hampstead, London.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harrison

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/content/articles/2009/04/06/nostell_john_harrison_feature.shtml

Sobel, Dava (1995). Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific

Problem of His Time. New York: Penguin.

Nicholas Budzinski

Sir Alexander B. W. Kennedy

(17 March 1847 - 1 November 1928)

Sir Alexander Blackie William Kennedy is a well-known engineer

who had many great influences in many different fields of engineering such

as: Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, and Marine. Born March 17th 1847 in

Stepney, London Alexander was the son of Rev. John Kennedy and Helen

Stodart Blackie. His education began at the City of London School and was

followed by his attendance at the Royal School of Mines in Jermyn Street.

As it was custom to gain most of one’s learning of theory and its application

by way of private study and apprenticeship at the time, Alexander had left

before he was yet seventeen.

Soon after, he began working for the shipbuilding yard J. & W.

Dudgeon of Millwall. While working with this firm he gained the knowledge

and experience of marine engine construction. After only a few years, he left and became the leading

draughtsman for Palmers’ Engine Works. His experience and technical aptitude gained him recognition

and as such he was eventually invited to join the Consulting Marine Engineer of Edinburgh, H. O.

Bennett, as a partner. During this time, he was involved “in designing engines, boilers and machinery of

all kinds and carrying out tests of engines. “

By the time Alexander was twenty-seven he was appointed to the professorship of Engineering

at University College, London which he held for fifteen years. While he was a professor he felt there was

a gap in the educational system. He believed that one’s education was not complete without the

experience and application of the sciences. Therefore, he determined the need for an Engineering

Laboratory that supplied the machinery and tools for students to receive the experience they may

otherwise not get. This idea was met with much support and within a few years the Engineering

Laboratory of University College, London was formally inaugurated. The engineering laboratory became

a success and other institutions began to follow his example.

Once he decided to leave the academic field Alexander directed his attention to Electrical

Engineering. Initially, interest in electrical engineering came about from motors for electric lighting. As

with the many other areas he studied in, he quickly became competent in electrical engineering. As a

result, he designed many different electrical systems in England ranging from power stations to

electrical tramways. “His public service was recognized by a knighthood in 1905.” During the First

World War he served on the panel of the munitions invention department, was chairman of the

committee on gunsights and rangefinders, and was vice-chairman of the committees on ordinance and

ammunition and anti-aircraft equipment.

Alexander worked and had interest in many different fields. He wrote and translated a few

books, was the president of the London Camera Club, and a member of the Alpine club. Over his

lifetime he influenced so many different areas of engineering and other important fields. At the age of

81 Sir Alexander Kennedy died at his home on 1 November 1928.

Nicholas Budzinski

References

1.) http://www.oxforddnb.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128

.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-34278;jsessionid=A0D0CB757C54A9A44B96E7CB1E57965D

2.) www.jstor.org/stable/769056

3.) https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015002048505;view=1up;seq=9

4.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Kennedy

ME 581 – H02 Name _________Nick Evans

James Watt

(January 19, 1736 - August 25, 1819)

James Watt was born in 1736 in Greenock, Scotland. His father ran a successful ship-building

business and his mother, a descendent of Scottish nobility, initially home-schooled young James.

By all accounts he was destined for a life of invention and engineering, as he would often

disassemble, reassemble, and reconfigure his toys as a child. His father nurtured these

tendencies, teaching James about ship instruments and allowing him space to work on models.

At age 17, Watt moved to Glasgow for work as a mathematical-instrument maker. In 1755, he

moves to London to apprentice under a master craftsman. After a year, he falls ill and returns to

Glasgow, eventually continuing his work crafting and repairing instruments for the university

professors.

Watt’s focus eventually shifted to steam engines—first in 1763 when the university asked him to

repair one—and he was incredulous at what he deemed to be an unacceptable level of

inefficiency in the Newcomen engine design. He experimented with steam and the energy

contained in it, certain that the energy lost repeatedly heating and cooling the single cylinder of

modern steam engines was the culprit of the inefficiency. He shared his findings with Robert

Black, a professor at the university, and learned that Black had already been working with a

theory about the high energy density of steam. Black referred to the theory as “latent heat.” The

two enter into a partnership, yielding Watt’s first patent, which covers a steam engine with a

separate condenser. Watt began producing his design after founding an engineering firm with

Matthew Boulton, and ultimately realized his calculated efficiency gains in practice. The engines

quickly become a commercial success.

Although Watt is perhaps best known for his steam engine, he holds other engineering accolades

as well. He is credited with inventing what ultimately came to be known as the “Watts linkage.”

The linkage is a simple four-bar that can constrain a central point on the coupler to experience

straight-line motion. This design is still used today on many vehicles with solid rear axles in

order to keep the differential centered during suspension travel. He also patented the double-

acting engine, which features a piston that could produce power while both pushing and pulling.

While he patented the sun-and-planet gear design, the invention is typically credited to one of the

engineers that worked at his firm, William Murdoch. The SI unit for energy was named after

Watt in 1882.

ME 581 – H02 Name _________Nick Evans

References

1. History - James Watt. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2018, from

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/watt_james.shtml

2. James Watt. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2018, from

http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/james-watt

3. Kingsford, P. W. (2017, October 17). James Watt. Retrieved January 21, 2018, from

https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Watt

4. West, M. (n.d.). Dynamics. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from

http://dynref.engr.illinois.edu/aml.html

5. William Murdock. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2018, from

https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Murdock-Scottish-inventor#ref258015

ME 581, HW02 Author: Jesse Gerber Spring 2018

Joseph-Louis Lagrange [1]

January 25, 1736 - April 10, 1813

Joseph Lagrange was a famous Italian-French mathematician. He is best known for his work on

number theory, algebra, calculus of variations, and celestial mechanics [2]. Although he was

happily married, he did not have any children. For the most part, he was completely dedicated to

his work and enjoyed a long and productive career [3]. He was recognized as a leader in his field

and held many important positions throughout his life.

Lagrange was born on January 25, 1736 in Turin, Sardinia; which is now northwestern Italy. His

father was treasurer to the king of Sardinia and his mother was the daughter of a wealthy

physician. Initially, his father wanted him to become a lawyer [4]. At the age of fourteen, he

attended the University of Turin, in order to study law. However, it was during this time that

Lagrange discovered his passion for mathematics. At once, he immersed himself in the subject.

In 1754, at the age of eighteen, he published his first work. Around this time, he also began

corresponding with established mathematicians, such as Leonhard Euler. At nineteen, he become

a professor at the Royal School of Artillery and Fortifications in Turin. He remained in this

position for the next eleven years. During this time he published his work on the calculus of

variations and vibrating strings. At twenty-eight, he received the prize of the Paris Academy of

Sciences for his work on the liberation of the Moon.

In 1766, at the age of thirty, he moved to Berlin to become the director of the Class of

Mathematics at the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He remained in Berlin for the next twenty-one

years. These were his most productive years [3]. During this time, he wrote his most famous

treatise, the Méchaique analytique (Analytic Mechanics); which was published in 1788.

In 1787, at the age of fifty-one, Lagrange moved to Paris; where he remained until his death on

April 10, 1813, at the age of seventy-seven. At this time, he believed that mathematics and

mechanics had reached a state of perfection. Therefore, he shifted his research efforts to other

fields, such as chemistry[1]. However, he still remained active in mathematics. At the age of

fifty-eight, he became a leading professor of mathematics at the École Polytechnque. In his final

years, he received many great honors from the scientific community and government officials.

For example, Napoleon made him a senator and, later on, count of the Empire.

ME 581, HW02 Author: Jesse Gerber Spring 2018

References:

[1] L. Pepe, “Lagrange (1736–1813): a life in mathematics,” Lett. Mat., vol. 2, no. 1–2, pp. 3–8,

Jun. 2014.

[2] R. Ravindran, C. R. Pranesachar, and D. P. Patil, “Joseph Louis lagrange (1736 – 1813),”

Resonance, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 2–4, Apr. 2006.

[3] S. Gindkin, “Joseph Louis Lagrange,” in Tales of Mathematicians and Physicists, Springer,

New York, NY, 2007, pp. 213–245.

[4] S. Caparrini, “Joseph-Louis Lagrange: essential timeline,” Lett. Mat., vol. 2, no. 1–2, pp. 93–

96, Jun. 2014.

Eli Whitney, 8 December 1765 to 8 January 1825

Thomas Hannah, ME 581

Eli Whitney was an American kinematician born in Westboro, MA. He went on to

graduate from Yale, and took tutorship position in South Carolina. The offer fell through over

payment disputes, and as a result, he ended up working as a sort of legal advisor for a planation.

He had a history of working with his hands, which lead to him working with the owners on non-

legal needs of the area. His most well known invention is the cotton gin, which he developed to

increase the productivity of cotton harvesting and thus help the plantation. The machine was

developed well in advance of the techniques being taught in this course, meaning that Whitney’s

development cycle was very much trial and error. A crude, but workable, prototype was

developed in a few days which convinced the plantation manager to fund continued refinement

and development efforts in exchange for a partnership in the sale of the machine to other

plantations. The success and novelty of Whitney’s idea was so great that Miller (the plantation

manager and Whitney’s partner) and Whitney were involved in several lawsuits over parent

infringement for the design. This device boosted efficiency so much that it lead to the

formidable cotton trade and economy of the south blossomed into the economic powerhouse that

contributed to the south’s ability to fund its civil war efforts decades later.

Lesser known, but just as important, is Mr. Whitney’s development of interchangeable

parts. He proposed a system for firearms manufacture that involved using machinery to

standardize parts production, making maintenance and repair work far easier for individuals

and militaries. Whitney was one of the first to pursue this idea, and he is a part of the first

wave of industrialization efforts in the United States.

Sources:

Biography.com: https://www.biography.com/people/eli-whitney-9530201

PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/whitney_hi.html

ASME: https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/manufacturing-processing/eli-

whitney

1

A Brief Exploration of Jean Le Rond D’Alembert By Ian Hays

Born: 17 November 1717 in Paris, France

Died: 29 October 1783 in Paris, France

Jean Le Rond d’Alembert began his life in unusual fashion. He was born in Paris while

his father was traveling. He was abandoned by his mother the Mme de Tencin and named after

the church where he was deposited, Saint Jean le Rond. (Grimsley, 2017) When his father, an

artillery officer named Destouches-Canon, returned from abroad, he took an interest in his son’s

life and gave him over to be cared for by a glazier’s wife, Mme Rousseau. Jean d’Alembert

would consider this woman to be his mother for the rest of his days, while the Destouches family

would become his major financial patrons, paying for his education and generally looking out for

him. (O'Connor & Robertson, 1998)

The prestigious Jansenist school he attended was a primarily theological school, but the

mysteries of religion held little appeal for the young d’Alembert. He instead focused his mind on

a series of possible occupations, including law and medicine before finally settling on

Mathematics as the focus of his career. (Grimsley, 2017)

The young Jean d’Alembert first drew attention from the larger scientific community for

several treatises he wrote on integral calculus and ricochets. However, his most influential work

was on his expansions of Newton’s third law. He showed that the internal forces of inertia in

rigid body were equivalent, but opposite to the forces which accelerated the body. (Rouse Ball,

1908) This was significant because up until his writings, there had been a great deal of

controversy over whether or not kinetic energy was conserved in the same way for free bodies

and constrained bodies. (Grimsley, 2017) d’Alembert would go on to expand his discoveries into

the fields of fluid mechanics, writing on the properties of both liquids and gases, and claiming to

have created a better system for understanding their motion than his contemporary, Bernoulli.

(O'Connor & Robertson, 1998)

D’Alembert strongly believed that mechanics could be fully understood in the theoretical

realm as simply an extension of mathematics and physics, despite the conventional wisdom of

the time which indicated mechanics could only be understood through experimentation.

(Grimsley, 2017) In general, d’Alembert was famously stubborn in his beliefs, and became

embroiled in many standing rivalries with his contemporaries, including Bernoulli and Euler.

(O'Connor & Robertson, 1998)

In his later life, d’Alembert explored and produced notable work in many other fields

beyond mechanics. He made several notable contributions to physical astronomy, and composed

many articles for the French encyclopedia. (Rouse Ball, 1908). He wrote a landmark work on the

vibrating string problem, and also made many pioneering discoveries in the solving of

differential equations, notably the d’Alembert method for testing convergence, and the

understanding of limits. (O'Connor & Robertson, 1998) He even wrote articles on musical

theory, the physics of sound, and acoustics. (Grimsley, 2017)

In short, Jean d’Alembert was an incredible mathematician, who made many advances in

the science, refused to yield to in his beliefs, and finished his life with a well-rounded portfolio

of accomplishment.

2

References

Grimsley, R. (2017, November 15). Jean Le Rond d'Alembert French Mathematician and

Philosopher. Retrieved from Encyclopaedia Britannica:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Le-Rond-dAlembert

O'Connor, J. J., & Robertson, E. F. (1998). Jean Le Rond d'Alembert. Retrieved from School of

Mathematics and Statistics University of St Andres, Scotland: http://www-history.mcs.st-

andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/DAlembert.html

Rouse Ball, W. W. (1908). Jean-le-Rond D'Alembert (1717-1783). Retrieved from School of

Mathematics Trinity College, Dublin:

https://www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/HistMath/People/DAlembert/RouseBall/RB_DAlembert.ht

ml

Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis – Born: May 21, 1792 By: Andrew Murray

Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis was a French kinematician. He was born in Paris during a

tumultuous political uprising, and his parents moved to Nancy just shortly after to avoid the

revolution. Coriolis spent his childhood in Nancy.

In 1808, he began his studies at L’École Polytechnique in

Paris. After graduation, he continued his studies at

another Parisian school: L’École des Ponts et Chaussées,

literally The School of Roads and Bridges. In 1816, he

accepted a position back at L’École Polytechnique as an

instructor. For the next thirteen years he would teach

analysis and mechanics at L’École Polytechnique before

accepting a position as a professor at L’École Centrale

des Arts et Manufactures. In 1836, he became the chair of

applied mechanics at L’École des Ponts and Chaussées.

At this time, he joined the mechanics group in

l’Académie des Sciences. Shortly thereafter, he became

the director of studies at L’École Polytechnique.

Despite the large number of roles that Coriolis filled

(often simultaneously) he still made numerous contributions to the field of kinematics. In 1829,

he published Du calcul de l’effet des machines a book in which he brought theoretical principles

to mechanics. This work introduced the terms ‘work’ and ‘kinetic energy’ to modern mechanics.

He published Sur les équations du mouvement relatif des systèmes de corps in 1835. This paper

introduced what is referred to now as the Coriolis Effect. The Coriolis Effect is an acceleration

that is perpendicular to an objects path as it moves across a rotating body. In his day, Coriolis

was investigating turning water wheels. His work with rotating bodies would later see significant

recognition in the field of meteorology. The behavior of winds and storms, such as the rotation of

hurricanes, can be understood through the lens of the Coriolis Effect.

Coriolis passed away in 1842 at 51 years old due to health issues. He was continuing his work

with the Coriolis Effect when he passed.

Interesting note: Coriolis wrote a paper on the game of billiards: Théorie mathématique des effets

du jeu de billiard.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gustave-Gaspard-Coriolis/images-videos

http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Coriolis.html

http://www.nndb.com/people/214/000206593/

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Coriolis.html

http://www-das.uwyo.edu/~geerts/cwx/notes/chap11/gustave.html

Portrait of Gaspard-Gustave de

Coriolis by Zéphirin Belliard.

Peyman Norouzi H02 01/25/2018

Sir William Rowan Hamilton

4 August 1805 – 2 September 1865

Sir William Rowan Hamilton was an Irish physicist and mathematician

mainly known for his contribution to the world of algebra, optics and

classical mechanics. He is credited with the reformulation of Newtonian

mechanics known as Hamiltonian mechanics nowadays. The Hamiltonian

mechanics is and was fundamental to the development of quantum

mechanics and the modern understanding classical field theories such as

electromagnetism. In addition to his immense contribution to the field of

physics, he is known as the inventor of quaternions in pure mathematics.

Sir Hamilton was born in early hours on August 4, 1805, in Dublin, Ireland. His father,

Archibald Hamilton, was a solicitor and did not have a formal university education. Thus, it is

believed that his intellectual genius came from Sarah Hutton, his mother. He intellect was

apparent from the early ages as he was able to speak in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin by the age of

seven. His linguist uncle, James Hamilton, helped him in the process of learning various

languages and by the age of thirteen, Hamilton mastered 15 languages. At the age of ten, he got

introduced to geometry as he read the Latin copy of Euclid to practice his Latin. Furthermore,

three years later, he studied Clairaut’s Algebra in French since he was fluent in the language.

At the age of 18, Sir William Rowan Hamilton entered Trinity College, Dublin to study

science at the school of mathematics. Four years later, the college's board selected him as

Andrew’s Professor of Astronomy while he was still an undergraduate student. However,

because of his interest, Hamilton dedicated majority of his time conducting research in the field

of mathematics instead of astronomy. He presented his influential dynamics principle of

“Varying Action” in 1834 and 1835 in two papers called On a General Method in Dynamics. He

was an admirer of the German metaphysics philosopher, Immanuel Kant. Hamilton’s work,

Algebra as the Science of Pure Time, that he published in 1835, was inspired by the

philosopher’s work.

Throughout his time at Trinity College, he proposed to two people, one was his friend’s

sister and the other was Aubrey De Vere. Unfortunately, he got rejected by both women, which

resulted in a depression. Later on, Hamilton proposed to Helen Marie Bayly and successfully

married her in 1833. Together, they had three children but their marriage turned out to be

problematic. Bayly was shy and chronically ill and since she was a preacher’s daughter, she was

also religious which did not help their relationship. The failed marriage caused him a lot of pain

throughout his life which, in turn, made him into an alcoholic. In the last seven years of his life,

he worked on his most significant book, Elements of Quaternions to produce a lasting quality

work on the theory of quaternions after his subpar book, Lectures on Quaternions. The book is

around 800 pages and Hamilton finished the book a few days before he died. Sir William

Hamilton passed away on Sep 2, 1865, due to severe gout attacks soon after receiving the news

of his election as the first foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Peyman Norouzi H02 01/25/2018

References:

http://hamilton2005.ie/biography.html

http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Hamilton.html

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/sir-william-rowan-hamilton-552.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rowan_Hamilton

https://www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/HistMath/People/Hamilton/

Leonhard Euler

Born: April 15, 1707, Died: September 18, 1783

Summary by Noah Roberson

Leonhard Euler was a famous 18th century physicist, mathematician, and historical theoretical

kinematician. Euler was born in Switzerland in 1707 and died in Russia in 1783; in that time

frame, he made countless advancements to the fields of geometry, trigonometry, calculus,

kinematics, and many other fields1.

In his early life, Euler showed a keen eye for mathematics, and after studying under Johan

Bernoulli, Euler obtained his master’s during his teens from the University of Basel. Euler then

moved on to join the St. Petersburg Academy as a professor of physics2. He later headed the

mathematics program there, as well as the mathematics program at the newly created Berlin

Academy of Science and Beaux Arts.

At these academies, Euler’s achievements included improving integral calculus, developing

theories in logarithmic and trigonometric functions, simplifying analytical operations, and

introducing the concepts of infinitesimals and infinite quantities2. Arguably the greatest of

Euler’s accomplishments was the development of application of the function, f, in mathematical

analysis, which has reached every corner of physics, math, and engineering2.

With respect to kinematics, Euler’s accomplishments in complex analysis and mathematical

notation were groundbreaking. Euler’s use of such terms like i, pi, and f(x), widely accepted

notations now, were not extensively used before he came along. Most importantly, the invention

of ‘Euler’s formula,’ called by some as the most remarkable formula in mathematics, helped

show that for any real number, the complex exponential function satisfies:

This formula has greatly simplified modern kinematic analyses and allowed for computer

programs to easily solve previously complex problems2.

Euler was also a skilled author, creating well-known science and philosophy literature such as

Letters to a German Princess, Mechanica, and Elements of Algebra3. His work has had a large

impact on modern mathematics and engineering, and he helped set the base for many important

advancements in the centuries after his death3.

References:

1 “Leonhard Euler,” Biography.com, 12-May-2014. [Online]. Available:

https://www.biography.com/people/leonhard-euler-21342391. [Accessed: 20-Jan-2018].

2 C. B. Boyer, “Leonhard Euler,” Encyclopædia Britannica, 17-Nov-2017. [Online]. Available:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leonhard-Euler. [Accessed: 20-Jan-2018].

3 Euler - 18th Century Mathematics - The Story of Mathematics. [Online]. Available:

http://www.storyofmathematics.com/18th_euler.html. [Accessed: 20-Jan-2018].

Robert Fulton November 14, 1765 - February 24, 1815

A Biography by Manuel Rodriguez Robert Fulton is best known for proving the commercial viability of steamboats. While steam engine based transportation seemed like the natural next step in the industrial revolution after the success James Watt’s engines, it wasn’t until 1807 when Fulton’s steamboat travelled form New York to Albany and back that the technology really took of. The steamboat, however, is hardly the only contribution of this American engineer; by request of Napoleon Bonaparte, Fulton designed the Nautilus, the first working submarine, and by request of the British Prime Minister he designed the first naval torpedoes.

Before changing the face of the transportation industry and of naval warfare, Fulton grew up in Little Britain, Pennsylvania. By the time he was thirteen years old he had exhibited his tremendous engineering potential by successfully equipping a fishing boat with paddlewheels. A skilled painter, he moved to Philadelphia in 1782 where he found jobs painting miniature portraits and landscapes, as well mechanical drawings. In 1786, he crossed the Atlantic to London; there he befriended renowned mechanicians and inventors of the era like the Earl Stanhope who invented the Stanhope printing press.

It was in Britain, surrounded by engineers and businessmen and in a period of rapid innovation, that Fulton’s career as an inventor really developed. From his move to London in 1782 to his subsequent departure to Paris in 1797, Fulton patented a wide variety of inventions for several different applications. One of his first patents, was for a machine capable of sawing marble. This was followed by a patent for dredging machine capable of excavating underwater. Following the rapid the development of water canals for in-land transportation, he focused his attentions on several ideas including an amphibious boat that could be used in the newly erected canals, some which were designed by Fulton himself. By the time he moved to France in 1797 he was already an acclaimed engineer. His recognition landed him the task of designing a working submarine and torpedoes for Napoleon’s navy. The undertaking proved highly costly and only produced mild success. This did not prevent Fulton of pursuing similar goals once he had moved back to Great Britain, only this time his contributions were towards the Royal British Navy.

By 1805, however, the inventor had shifted his attention to the development of the steamboat. After an unsuccessful experiment which resulted in the sinking of a boat, Fulton returned to the United States where he continued working on the steamboat with the financial help of his now father in law Robert Livingston. The success of this endeavor, is what Fulton is most renowned for.

References:

1 - http://www.robertfulton.org 2 - https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/transportation/robert-fulton 3 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Fulton-American-inventor

ME 581 HW02 1/26/18

Rene Descartes

(March 31, 1596-February 11, 1650)

By: Seth Tau

Rene Descartes was born in La Haye, France on March 31, 1596. His father was a lawyer,

Joachim Descartes, and his mother, who died soon after his birth, was Jeanne Brochard. Rene

was very sickly as a child, but manage to survive his childhood, unlike a few of his siblings.

Descartes was sent off to school at around age 11 to Jesuit College at La Fleche. He received a

well-rounded education there where he continued from 1607 through 1614. It was at this time

that he got into the habit of staying in bed until around 11 AM each day, due to his sickly nature.

Descartes then proceeded to the University of Poiters, where he received a degree in Law in

1616. Then in 1618 he joined the peacetime army of Prince Maurice of Nassau, where he met

scientist Isaac Beekman. Beekman was a big influence in Descartes life as he encouraged

Descartes to continue his education, especially in science and mathematics, and to apply his

knowledge to other fields. Descartes stayed with the army until 1619, when he left to pursue

other endeavors.

Shortly after leaving the army Descartes invented analytical geometry (a.k.a. Cartesian

geometry). He found that he could use algebra to solve geometric problems and geometry to

solve algebraic problems, which was something very unique at the time. He explained this

method in La Géométrie, which was only part of one of his larger works Discourse on

Method. However, Rene didn’t just stop at mixing geometry and algebra. He wrote several

works about applying geometric principles to other fields including Discourse on Method

and Rules for the Direction of the Mind. The latter was focused heavily on the field of

philosophy, to which Descartes devoted much of his later life.

Rene Descartes is possibly most famous for his quote, “I think, therefore I am.” This was the

starting point for his entire philosophy. His idea was to throw out everything that could

possibly be doubted including our senses, which are quite easily fooled. Then we must start

from the fact that I am thinking, so I must exist. From there he made reasonings for why God

must exist and how that ensures that the things around us must exist as well. Many believe

this to be the origin of modern philosophy.

Eventually, Descartes philosophical prowess would lead Queen Christina of Sweden to invite

him to become her tutor in philosophy. In 1649, he obliged and moved to Stockholm, Sweden.

While there, despite Rene’s sickly nature, the Queen would request him to get up at 5 AM every

morning to discuss philosophy with her. This soon led to Descartes catching pneumonia and his

death on February 11, 1650.

ME 581 HW02 1/26/18

Sources

[1] http://www.iep.utm.edu/descarte/

[2] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rene-Descartes

[3] https://www.biography.com/people/ren-descartes-37613

[4] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-mathematics/

Father of Modern Kinematics

Franz Reuleaux

30/9/1829 – 20/8/1905

By: Yi Zhang

Franz Reuleaux , born in Eschweiler (near Aachen), Germany on September 30, 1829, is

regarded as the founder of modern kinematics and as one of the forerunners of modern design

theory of machines.

In Reuleaux’s early life, his technical training was at the Karlsruhe Polytechnic School. His

father and grandfather were both machine builders. He then studied at universities in Berlin

and Bonn. He was professor of machine design at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic Institute in

Zurich where he developed many of his ideas in kinematics.Both his two major books, Der

Constructor and Theoretische Kinematik; Grundzüge einer Theorie des Maschinenwesens,

had a wide impact and had been translated into different languages.

Reuleaux was one of the first to use an abstract symbol representation of machines. He is also

credited with inventing the idea of a kinematic pair (Kennedy, 1881). Each pair had a

different symbol based on his ideas of a kinematic chain and pair elements, and each

mechanism would be described by a collection of symbols or word. A complete assembly of

mechanisms is then a sentence of words in this symbol language.This abstract methodology

for kinematic mechanisms did not propagate in later textbooks in the early 20th century.

However, the idea of symbols for machine elements has been renewed in modern design

synthesis theory. Reuleaux's contributions to kinematics have recently been recognized in a

recent review of modern developments in kinematics.

Besides his influence on kinematics, Reuleaux was active in the technological politics of the

newly united German Empire. He had an important role in developing German patent

legislation and with the founding of the Mannesmann steel works, as well as a member of

juries of international exhibitions. At the expense of the German government, he directed the

design and manufacture of over 300 beautiful models of simple mechanisms, such as the

four-bar linkage and the crank. These were sold to universities for pedagogical purposes.

Reuleaux was also active in improving the quality of German manufacturing.

Today, Reuleaux is known as the ‘Father of Modern Kinematics’. Also,he may be best

remembered for the Reuleaux triangle, a curve of constant width that he helped develop as a

useful mechanical form.

Sources:1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Reuleaux

2. http://kmoddl.library.cornell.edu/facets/moon61899.html

3. The Reuleaux Collection of Kinematic Mechanisms, Cornell University.