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R. S. Ball's Mechanics: bringing Newton to the masses?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2017

Christopher D. Hollings
Christopher D. Hollings*
Affiliation:
Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Andrew Wiles Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG The Queen's College, Oxford OX1 4AW e-mail: christopher.hollings@maths.ox.ac.uk
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Extract

In 1879, the Irish astronomer Robert Stawell Ball published a slim book entitled simply Mechanics [1]. This book appeared as part of the series of ‘London Science Class-Books’, published by Longmans, Green & Co. These books were intended as elementary science texts for use in schools, and, as a consequence, their mathematical content was quite basic — even for those books on supposedly mathematical topics. In this article, I will look at Ball's handling of his subject, and compare his book to its distant ancestor: Newton's Principia.

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Articles
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The Mathematical Gazette , Volume 101 , Issue 551 , July 2017 , pp. 280 - 288
Copyright
Copyright © Mathematical Association 2017 

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References

1. Ball, Robert Stawell, Mechanics, Longmans, Green & Co., London, 1879.Google Scholar
2. Matthew, H. C. G. and Brian Harrison, (eds), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press (2004).Google Scholar
3. Foden, F. E., Sir Philip Magnus and the City and Guilds of London Institute, The Vocational Aspect of Education 14 (29) (1962), pp. 102–116.Google Scholar
4. Ball, R. S., The theory of screws: a study in the dynamics of a rigid body, Hodges, Foster, and Co., Dublin (1876).Google Scholar
5. Ball, R. S., A treatise on the theory of screws, Cambridge University Press (1900).Google Scholar
6. Ball, R. S., Experimental mechanics: a course of lectures delivered at the Royal College of Science for Ireland, Macmillan, London (1871).Google Scholar
7. Newton, Isaac, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, London, (1687); English translation by Motte, Andrew (1729); Motte's translation reprinted by Prometheus Books, New York (1995).Google Scholar