Euler and Modern Science: (Spectrum)

This book is an English translation of a collection of papers in Russian from a conference held in Moscow and St. Petersburg in 1983, 200 years after Euler's death. Two of the Russian papers in the collection are themselves translations from the German. The present English translation appears in 2007, 300 years after his birth. We speak of the ""Age of Euler"". A justification of this term is provided by a list of scientific terms connected with Euler s name and his many contributions to pure mathematics, well-known in the mathematical community and, in part, covered in this volume. What makes this collection remarkable, though, is the extensive treatment of Euler's contributions outside pure mathematics-to astronomy, celestial mechanics, ballistics, history of science, instruments and technology, physics, mechanics, hydromechanics, mechanics of elastic systems, variational principles of mechanics, and a mathematical theory of music. In addition to this survey of his contributions to science, we find here material otherwise very difficult to find detailed accounts of Euler's family life and the careers pursued by his children and grandchildren. Readers otherwise well-informed about Euler and his work will find here much to enhance their appreciation of this extraordinary scientist and human being. For significant and factual knowledge of Euler's contributions to science past and present, this book is easily the best available choice.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; Translator's note; From the editors; 1. Opening speech of the symposium 'Modern Developments of Euler's Ideas' October 24, 1983 A. P. Aleksandrov; 2. Leonhard Euler: his life and work A. P. Yushkevich; 3. Leonhard Euler, active and honored member of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences Yu. Kh. Kopelevich; 4. The part played by the Petersburg Academy of Sciences (the Academy of Sciences of the USSR) in the publication of Euler's collected works E. P. Ozhigova; 5. Leonhard Euler and the Berlin Academy of Sciences K. Grau; 6. Was Leonhard Euler driven from Berlin by J. H. Lambert? K.-R. Biermann; 7. Euler's mathematical notebooks E. Knobloch; 8. On Euler's surviving manuscripts and notebooks G. P. Matvievskaya; 9. The manuscript materials of Euler on number theory G. P. Matvievskaya and E. P. Ozhigova; 10. Euler's contribution to algebra I. G. Bashmakova; 11. Diophantine equations in Euler's works T. A. Lavrinenko; 12. The foundations of mechanics and hydrodynamics in Euler's works G. K. Mikhaĭlov and L. I. Sedov; 13. Leonhard Euler and the variational principles of mechanics V. V. Rumyantsev; 14. Leonhard Euler and the mechanics of elastic systems N. V. Banichuk and A. Yu. Ishlinskiĭ; 15. Euler's research in mechanics during the first Petersburg period N. N. Polyakhov; 16. The significance of Euler's research in ballistics A. P. Mandryka; 17. Euler and the development of astronomy in Russia V. K. Abalakin and E. A. Grebenikov; 18. Euler and the evolution of celestial mechanics N. I. Nevskaya and K. V. Kholshevnikov; 19. New evidence concerning Euler's development as an astronomer and historian of science N. I. Nevskaya; 20. Leonhard Euler in correspondence with Clairaut, d'Alembert and Lagrange A. P. Yushkevich and R. Taton; 21. Letters to a German Princess and Euler's physics A. T. Grigor'ian and V. S. Kirsanov; 22. Euler and I. P. Kulibin N. M. Raskin; 23. Euler and the history of a certain musical-mathematical idea E. V. Gertsman; 24. Euler's music-rheoretical manuscripts and the formation of his conception of the theory of music S. S. Tserlyuk-Askadskaya; 25. An unknown portrait of Euler by J. F. A. Darbés G. B. Andreeva and M. P. Vikturina; 26. Eulogy in memory of Leonhard Euler Nikolaĭ Fuss; 27. Leonhard Euler's family and descendants I. R. Gekker and A. A. Euler; Index.