<一般論文> 合理力学の一例としての衝突理論1720–1730年

Abstract

In his classical work on eighteenth-century mechanics, Clifford Truesdell characterized it as Rational Mechanics, mathematical enterprise aiming for general principles and methods, exercised through special problems. But, then, what were the special problems to be solved? The present paper proposes that theory of collision, or of what was called "communication" of motion, should be included. For this purpose, the author will select several theories proposed from 1720 to 1730, analyzing and comparing how they derived the laws of collision. We will find that 'sGravesande modified his theory between the first edition of his textbook and his controversial paper; that Maclaurin criticized 'sGravesande's "new" theory but essentially adopted the "old" one, while Maziere expanded it by introducing "elastic ratio"; that Johann Bernoulli aimed at establishing the theory on principles of mechanics, modeling collision process by virtual springs; and that Euler applied to the spring-model what would be now called equations of motion, promising to deduce the laws of collision from "most certain principles of mechanics." These enterprises not only show some developments of the theory and the popularity of that subject, but also will allow us to tell its history as an example of Rational Mechanics.