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Christiaan Huygens and Newton's Theory of Gravitation

1989; Royal Society; Volume: 43; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1098/rsnr.1989.0015

1743-0178

H.A.M. Snelders,

Geophysics and Gravity Measurements

Three centuries ago Christiaan Huygens (then 58 years old) read Isaac Newton’s Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica . Since 1681 the Dutch scientist had lived and worked in the relative solitude of his residence at The Hague and in the family’s country-house Hofwijckat Voorburg near that city. Newton’s Principia had been published by 5 July 1687, when the astronomer Edmond Halley announced to Newton that the printing had been completed and that copies were being distributed (1). In June 1687 Huygens had learned about the forthcoming book through his young friend, the Swiss mathematician Nicolas Fatio de Duillier (1664—1753) (2). On 11 July 1687 he wrote to Fatio that he looked forward to seeing the book. Huygens did not care that Newton was not a Cartesian ‘pourveu qu’il ne nous fasse pas des suppositions comme celle de l’attraction’ (3).