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Burchard de Volder and the Age of the Scientific RevolutionThe Theory of Hydrostatics and Pneumatics

Burchard de Volder and the Age of the Scientific Revolution: The Theory of Hydrostatics and... [In this chapter I focus on De Volder’s treatment of hydrostatics, i.e. the core of his teaching activities at Leiden experimental theatre. The chapter is devoted to discussion of De Volder’s attempt to combine two main models in hydrostatics. First, the Cartesian – which Descartes expounded through his theory of gravity – according to which bodies (either solid or fluid) provided with the same specific weight constantly nullify their reciprocal pressure, so that, for instance, there is no increasing pressure in water. Second, the Archimedean model (assumed by Boyle) according to which the conditions of the floatation of bodies are determined by the different pressures exerted within a fluid. I show that these models are ultimately inconsistent with each other, so that in refraining from publishing his disputations, De Volder might have been partially justified by this problem. Moreover, I consider De Volder’s application of such models to the explanation of the effects of the pressure of air, and its partial overcoming by his assuming, as a key factor determining pneumatic phenomena, the idea of the elasticity of air. This was a notion that De Volder also applied to physiology, and which testifies to his assumption of the Boyle-Mariotte law.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

Burchard de Volder and the Age of the Scientific RevolutionThe Theory of Hydrostatics and Pneumatics

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References (75)

Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Copyright
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
ISBN
978-3-030-19877-0
Pages
359 –538
DOI
10.1007/978-3-030-19878-7_5
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[In this chapter I focus on De Volder’s treatment of hydrostatics, i.e. the core of his teaching activities at Leiden experimental theatre. The chapter is devoted to discussion of De Volder’s attempt to combine two main models in hydrostatics. First, the Cartesian – which Descartes expounded through his theory of gravity – according to which bodies (either solid or fluid) provided with the same specific weight constantly nullify their reciprocal pressure, so that, for instance, there is no increasing pressure in water. Second, the Archimedean model (assumed by Boyle) according to which the conditions of the floatation of bodies are determined by the different pressures exerted within a fluid. I show that these models are ultimately inconsistent with each other, so that in refraining from publishing his disputations, De Volder might have been partially justified by this problem. Moreover, I consider De Volder’s application of such models to the explanation of the effects of the pressure of air, and its partial overcoming by his assuming, as a key factor determining pneumatic phenomena, the idea of the elasticity of air. This was a notion that De Volder also applied to physiology, and which testifies to his assumption of the Boyle-Mariotte law.]

Published: Nov 19, 2019

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