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French text. Facsimile of the 1752 first edition. Hard cover, 8vo. Collation: [2], xlvi,212 [4] pp. In publisher's brown leatherette binding with faux red spine labels lettered in silver. With four full-page reproduction plates. CONDITION: Fine. Fresh, bright and clean. ** A pleasing facsimile of d'Alembert's study of fluid mechanics. ** Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (1717-1783) was a French mathematician, and physicist, as well as being a co-editor of Diderot's famous "Encyclopédie" (1751-1772). He is most famous for his contributions to algebra (the "fundamental theorem of algebra") and physics (the "wave equation"). ** In this work, he demonstrates "D'Alembert's paradox", where he proves that an object dragged through a liquid of zero viscosity and undergoing "incompressible flow", experiences a drag force of zero. Thus began a split in scientific thinking between the theory ("there can be zero drag force") and practice ("there is never zero drag force"). Ref: Original work, BnF No. 12148, bpt6k206036b. (Paris: Chez David l'aîné, Libraire, Jean-Baptiste Coignard, Printer,1752.)
Ref: SCI 9330
$125.00