Excerpt from A Philosophical and Mathematical Dictionary, Vol. 1 of 2: Containing an Explanation of the Terms, and an Account of the Several Subjects, Comprised Under the Heads Mathematics, Astronomy, and Philosophy Both Natural and Experimental Also Memoirs of the Lives and Writing of the Eminent Authors, Both Ancient and M IT became, therefore, the only resource of the Reader, in many cases Where explanation was wanted, to' have recourse to Chamhers's Dictionary, in four large volumes folio, or to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, now in eighteen large volumes 4to, or the still more stupendous performance of the French Encyclopedists; and even here his expectations might be fre quently disappointed. These great and useful works, aiming at a general comprehension of the whole circle Of the Sciences, are sometimes very deficient in their descriptions of parti; colar branches; it being almost impossible, in such extensive undertakings, to appreciate. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from A Philosophical and Mathematical Dictionary, Vol. 1 of 2: Containing an Explanation of the Terms, and an Account of the Several Subjects, Comprised Under the Heads Mathematics, Astronomy, and Philosophy Both Natural and Experimental Also Memoirs of the Lives and Writing of the Eminent Authors, Both Ancient and M Among the Dictionaries of Arts and Sciences which have been published, of late years, in various parts of Europe, it is matter of surprise that Philosophy and Mathematics should have been so far overlooked as not to be thought worthy of a separate Treatise, in this form. These sciences constitute a large portion of the present stock of human knowledge, and have been usually considered as possessing a degree of importance to which few others are entitled; and yet we have hitherto had no distinct Lexicon, in which their constituent parts and technical terms have been explained, with that amplitude and precision, which the great improvements of the Moderns, as well as the rising dignity of the Subject, seem to demand. The only works of this kind in the English language, deserving of notice, are Harris's Lexicon Technicum, and Stone's Mathematical Dictionary; the former of which, though a valuable performance at the time it was written, is now become too dry and obsolete to be referred to with pleasure or satisfaction: and the latter, consisting only of one volume in 8vo, must be regarded merely as an unfinished sketch, or brief compendium, extremely limited in its plan, and necessarily deficient in useful information. It became, therefore, the only resource of the Reader, in many cases where explanation was wanted, to have recourse to Chambers's Dictionary, in four large volumes folio, or to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, now in eighteen large volumes 4to, or the still more stupendous performance of the French Encyclopedists; and even here his expectations might be frequently disappointed. These great and useful works, aiming at a general comprehension of the whole circle of the Sciences, are sometimes very deficient in their descriptions of particular branches; it being almost impossible, in such extensive undertakings, to appreciate, with exactness, the due value of every article. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.