Dino Boccaletti Livres

The book explores the historical interpretations of a specific biblical passage about the "waters above the firmament" from Genesis, which has not sparked a faith-science conflict despite its counterintuitive nature. It examines how exegetes from various religious orders analyzed this passage from early Christianity to the Renaissance, revealing the underlying cosmogonic model. The lack of debate in lay culture contributed to the absence of conflict, making this analysis both enlightening and accessible for a wide audience interested in the interplay of faith and reason.

The book explores the evolution of theories regarding the Earth's shape from ancient times to today, highlighting key figures such as Eratosthenes, Newton, and Clairaut. It delves into the historical context, including the influence of the Catholic Church and medieval philosophers, while emphasizing the role of mathematics in geodetic advancements. The narrative culminates in the modern understanding of the Earth as an oblate spheroid, facilitated by satellite geodesy, providing insights into both scientific progress and the evolution of human thought.

S. Chandrasekhar's influential work presents stellar dynamics as a branch of classical dynamics, akin to celestial mechanics. It explores the evolution of stellar dynamics through three main perspectives: celestial mechanics, fluid mechanics, and statistical mechanics, addressing complex problems in interpreting stellar systems.

This book is intended as a historical and critical study on the origin of the equations of motion as established in Newton's Principia. The central question that it aims to answer is whether it is indeed correct to ascribe to Galileo the inertia principle and the law of falling bodies. In order to accomplish this task, the study begins by considering theories on the motion of bodies from classical antiquity, and especially those of Aristotle. The theories developed during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance are then reviewed, with careful analysis of the contributions of, for example, the Merton and Parisian Schools and Galileo’s immediate predecessors, Tartaglia and Benedetti. Finally, Galileo’s work is examined in detail, starting from the early writings. Excerpts from individual works are presented, to allow the texts to speak for themselves, and then commented upon. The book provides historical evidence both for Galileo's dependence on his forerunners and for the major breakthroughs that he achieved. It will satisfy the curiosity of all who wish to know when and why certain laws have been credited to Galileo.