Pioneers of Science — Lodge, Oliver, Sir

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Transcriber's Note

The punctuation and spelling from the original text have been faithfully
preserved. Only obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

There are several mathematical formulas within the text. They are
represented as follows:
 Superscripts: x^3
 Subscripts: x_3
 Square Root: [square root] Greek Letters: [pi], [theta].

Greek star names are represented as [alpha], [gamma], for example.




PIONEERS OF SCIENCE

[Illustration]

[Illustration: NEWTON

_From the picture by Kneller, 1689, now at Cambridge_]




  PIONEERS OF SCIENCE

  BY
  OLIVER LODGE, F.R.S.


  PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS IN VICTORIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LIVERPOOL

  _WITH PORTRAITS AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS_


  London
  MACMILLAN AND CO.
  AND NEW YORK
  1893

  RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, LIMITED,
  LONDON AND BUNGAY.




PREFACE


This book takes its origin in a course of lectures on the history and
progress of Astronomy arranged for me in the year 1887 by three of my
colleagues (A.C.B., J.M., G.H.R.), one of whom gave the course its name.

The lectures having been found interesting, it was natural to write them
out in full and publish.

If I may claim for them any merit, I should say it consists in their
simple statement and explanation of scientific facts and laws. The
biographical details are compiled from all readily available sources,
there is no novelty or originality about them; though it is hoped that
there may be some vividness. I have simply tried to present a living
figure of each Pioneer in turn, and to trace his influence on the
progress of thought.

I am indebted to many biographers and writers, among others to Mr.
E.J.C. Morton, whose excellent set of lives published by the S.P.C.K.
saved me much trouble in the early part of the course.

As we approach recent times the subject grows more complex, and the men
more nearly contemporaries; hence the biographical aspect diminishes and
the scientific treatment becomes fuller, but in no case has it been
allowed to become technical and generally unreadable.

To the friends (C.C.C., F.W.H.M., E.F.R.) who with great kindness have
revised the proofs, and have indicated places where the facts could be
made more readily intelligible by a clearer statement, I express my
genuine gratitude.

  UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LIVERPOOL,
  _November, 1892_.




CONTENTS


  _PART I_

  LECTURE I

                                                   PAGE

  COPERNICUS AND THE MOTION OF THE EARTH              2


  LECTURE II

  TYCHO BRAHE AND THE EARLIEST OBSERVATORY           32


  LECTURE III

  KEPLER AND THE LAWS OF PLANETARY MOTION            56


  LECTURE IV

  GALILEO AND THE INVENTION OF THE TELESCOPE         80


  LECTURE V

  GALILEO AND THE INQUISITION                       108


  LECTURE VI

  DESCARTES AND HIS THEORY OF VORTICES              136


  LECTURE VII

  SIR ISAAC NEWTON                                  159


  LECTURE VIII

  NEWTON AND THE LAW OF GRAVITATION                 180


  LECTURE IX

  NEWTON'S "PRINCIPIA"                              203


  _PART II_

  LECTURE X

  ROEMER AND BRADLEY AND THE VELOCITY OF LIGHT      232


  LECTURE XI

  LAGRANGE AND LAPLACE--THE STABILITY OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM,
  AND THE NEBULAR HYPOTHESIS                        254


  LECTURE XII

  HERSCHEL AND THE MOTION OF THE FIXED STARS        273


  LECTURE XIII

  THE DISCOVERY OF THE ASTEROIDS                    294


  LECTURE XIV

  BESSEL--THE DISTANCES OF THE STARS, AND THE DISCOVERY OF
  STELLAR PLANETS                                   304


  LECTURE XV

  THE DISCOVERY OF NEPTUNE                          317


  LECTURE XVI

  COMETS AND METEORS                                331


  LECTURE XVII

  THE TIDES                                         353


  LECTURE XVIII

  THE TIDES, AND PLANETARY EVOLUTION                379




ILLUSTRATIONS


  FIG.                                                                PAGE

  1. ARCHIMEDES                                                          8

  2. LEONARDO DA VINCI                                                  10

  3. COPERNICUS                                                         12

  4. HOMERIC COSMOGONY                                                  15

  5. EGYPTIAN SYMBOL OF THE UNIVERSE                                    16

  6. HINDOO EARTH                                                       17

  7. ORDER OF ANCIENT PLANETS CORRESPONDING TO THE DAYS OF
     THE WEEK                                                           19

  8. PTOLEMAIC SYSTEM                                                   20

  9.