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Leibniz’s Developments of Machine Science

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Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms

Part of the book series: History of Mechanism and Machine Science ((HMMS,volume 32))

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Abstract

This paper is a tribute to the tercentenary of Leibniz’s (1646–1716) death. After Aristotle (384–322 BC), one of the most impressive and original accomplishments of building rational knowledge about nature can be found in Leibniz’s dynamics. Furthermore, his science of motion occupies a prominent place in his thought. In addition to these theoretical developments, Leibniz designed a calculating machine which performed the four arithmetic operations and worked as a mining engineer in Harz (Germany), with the design and construction of windmills. In this paper Leibniz’s contributions to machine science, namely dynamics and machine design, are presented and discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Garber [6] 99–179.

  2. 2.

    Cohen [13] 21–147.

  3. 3.

    François Duchesneau is Professor of philosophy at Montreal University. He published several important books regarding Leibniz´s scientific and philosophical works: Leibniz et la méthode de la science, PUF, Paris, 1993; La dynamique de Leibniz, Librairie Philosophique J. Vrin, Paris, 1994.

  4. 4.

    Coriolis [29] 1–34.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Polytechnic School of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    A. R. E. Oliveira

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  1. A. R. E. Oliveira
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Correspondence to A. R. E. Oliveira .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico

    Carlos López-Cajún

  2. LARM: Lab. of Robotics and Mechatronics, DICeM:Univ of Cassino and South Latium, Cassino, Italy

    Marco Ceccarelli

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Oliveira, A.R.E. (2016). Leibniz’s Developments of Machine Science. In: López-Cajún, C., Ceccarelli, M. (eds) Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol 32. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31184-5_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31184-5_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31182-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31184-5

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