Nicolas Fatio de Duillier
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Nicolas Fatio de Duillier (also spelled Faccio or Facio; 16 February 1664 – 10 May 1753) was a mathematician,
natural philosopher Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior throu ...
, astronomer, inventor, and religious campaigner. Born in Basel, Switzerland, Fatio mostly grew up in the then-independent Republic of Geneva, of which he was a citizen, before spending much of his adult life in England and Holland. Fatio is known for his collaboration with
Giovanni Domenico Cassini Giovanni Domenico Cassini, also known as Jean-Dominique Cassini (8 June 1625 – 14 September 1712) was an Italian (naturalised French) mathematician, astronomer and engineer. Cassini was born in Perinaldo, near Imperia, at that time in the C ...
on the correct explanation of the astronomical phenomenon of
zodiacal light The zodiacal light (also called false dawn when seen before sunrise) is a faint glow of diffuse sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. Brighter around the Sun, it appears in a particularly dark night sky to extend from the Sun's direction in ...
, for inventing the "push" or "shadow" theory of gravitation, for his close association with both
Christiaan Huygens Christiaan Huygens, Lord of Zeelhem, ( , , ; also spelled Huyghens; la, Hugenius; 14 April 1629 – 8 July 1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor, who is regarded as one of the greatest scientists of ...
and
Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...
, and for his role in the
Leibniz–Newton calculus controversy In the history of calculus, the calculus controversy (german: Prioritätsstreit, lit=priority dispute) was an argument between the mathematicians Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz over who had first invented calculus. The question was ...
. He also invented and developed the first method for fabricating
jewel bearing A jewel bearing is a plain bearing in which a metal spindle turns in a jewel-lined pivot hole. The hole is typically shaped like a torus and is slightly larger than the shaft diameter. The jewels are typically made from the mineral corundum ...
s for
mechanical watch A mechanical watch is a watch that uses a clockwork mechanism to measure the passage of time, as opposed to quartz watches which function using the vibration modes of a piezoelectric quartz tuning fork, or radio watches, which are quartz watches ...
es and clocks. Elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
of London at the age of 24, Fatio never achieved the position and reputation that his early achievements and connections had promised. In 1706 he became involved with a
millenarian Millenarianism or millenarism (from Latin , "containing a thousand") is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming fundamental transformation of society, after which "all things will be changed". Millenariani ...
religious sect, known in London as the " French prophets", and the following year he was sentenced to the
pillory The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stocks ...
for
sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...
over his role in the publication of the prophecies of Élie Marion, the leader of that sect. Fatio travelled with the French prophets as a missionary, going as far as
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
before returning to Holland in 1713, and finally settling in England. His extreme religious views harmed his intellectual reputation, but Fatio continued to pursue technological, scientific, and theological researches until his death at the age of 89.


Early life


Family background

Nicolas Fatio was born in
Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
, Switzerland, in 1664, into a family that originated in Italy and settled in Switzerland following the Protestant
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
. One of his cousins was the ill-fated
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
n political reformer
Pierre Fatio Pierre Fatio (7 November 1662 – 6 September 1707) was a lawyer and politician in the Republic of Geneva. His struggle against the dominance of the aristocracy in the Genevan government led to his execution on charges of conspiring against the ...
. Nicolas was the seventh of nine children (two brothers and seven sisters) of Jean-Baptiste and Cathérine Fatio, ''née'' Barbaud. Jean-Baptiste had inherited a significant fortune, derived from his father's interests in iron and silver mining, and in 1672 he moved the family to an estate that he had purchased in
Duillier Duillier () is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Duillier is first mentioned in 1145 as ''Duelliei''. Geography Duillier has an area, , of . Of this area, or 75.2% is used for agricultural pu ...
, some twenty kilometres from the town of Geneva. Jean-Baptiste, a devout Calvinist, wished Nicolas to become a pastor, whereas Cathérine, a Lutheran, wanted him to find a place in the court of a Protestant German prince. Instead, the young Nicolas pursued a scientific career. Nicolas's elder brother, Jean Christophe Fatio, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 3 April 1706. Jean Christophe published in the ''Philosophical Transactions'' a description of the solar eclipse that he had observed in Geneva on 12 May of that year. He died at Geneva on 18 October 1720. Jean Christophe was married in 1709 to Catherine, daughter of Jean Gassand of
Forcalquier Forcalquier (; oc, Forcauquier, ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Forcalquier is located between the Lure and Luberon mountain ranges, about south of Sisteron and west of the Durance river. Dur ...
, in Provence. Catherine's will was proved at London in March 1752. Nicolas himself was never married.


Education and patronage

Nicolas Fatio received his elementary schooling at the ''
Collège de Genève In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...
'', proceeding in 1678 to the ''Académie de Genève'' (now the
University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...
), where he remained until 1680. At the Academy he came under the influence of the rector, Jean-Robert Chouet, a prominent
Cartesian Cartesian means of or relating to the French philosopher René Descartes—from his Latinized name ''Cartesius''. It may refer to: Mathematics *Cartesian closed category, a closed category in category theory *Cartesian coordinate system, modern ...
. Before he was eighteen, Fatio wrote to the director of the
Paris Observatory The Paris Observatory (french: Observatoire de Paris ), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centers in the world. Its histor ...
, the astronomer
Giovanni Domenico Cassini Giovanni Domenico Cassini, also known as Jean-Dominique Cassini (8 June 1625 – 14 September 1712) was an Italian (naturalised French) mathematician, astronomer and engineer. Cassini was born in Perinaldo, near Imperia, at that time in the C ...
, suggesting a new method of determining the distances to the Sun and Moon from the Earth, as well as an explanation of the form of the
rings of Saturn The rings of Saturn are the most extensive ring system of any planet in the Solar System. They consist of countless small particles, ranging in size from micrometers to meters, that orbit around Saturn. The ring particles are made almost entirel ...
. With Chouet's support, Fatio travelled to Paris in the spring of 1682 and was warmly received by Cassini. That same year, Cassini presented his findings on the astronomical phenomenon of
zodiacal light The zodiacal light (also called false dawn when seen before sunrise) is a faint glow of diffuse sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. Brighter around the Sun, it appears in a particularly dark night sky to extend from the Sun's direction in ...
. Fatio repeated Cassini's observations in Geneva in 1684, and in 1685 he offered an important development of Cassini's theory, which was communicated by Chouet in the March 1685 number of ''
Nouvelles de la république des lettres ''Nouvelles de la république des lettres'' (''News from the Republic of Letters'') was a periodical devoted to reviews of current publications, edited and in large part written by Pierre Bayle. It began publication in 1684, and is the first known ...
''. Fatio's own ''Lettre à M. Cassini touchant une lumière extraordinaire qui paroît dans le Ciel depuis quelques années'' ("Letter to Mr. Cassini concerning the extraordinary light that has appeared in the Heavens for some years") was published in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
in 1686. There Fatio correctly explained the zodiacal light as sunlight scattered by an
interplanetary dust cloud The interplanetary dust cloud, or zodiacal cloud (as the source of the zodiacal light), consists of cosmic dust (small particles floating in outer space) that pervades the space between planets within planetary systems, such as the Solar System. ...
(the "zodiacal cloud") that straddles the
ecliptic plane The ecliptic or ecliptic plane is the orbital plane of the Earth around the Sun. From the perspective of an observer on Earth, the Sun's movement around the celestial sphere over the course of a year traces out a path along the ecliptic again ...
. Fatio then studied the dilatation and contraction of the eye's
pupil The pupil is a black hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to strike the retina.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. (1990) ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishing Company. It appears black ...
. He described the fibres of the anterior
uvea The uvea (; Lat. ''uva'', "grape"), also called the ''uveal layer'', ''uveal coat'', ''uveal tract'', ''vascular tunic'' or ''vascular layer'' is the pigmented middle of the three concentric layers that make up an eye. History and etymolog ...
and the
choroid The choroid, also known as the choroidea or choroid coat, is a part of the uvea, the vascular layer of the eye, and contains connective tissues, and lies between the retina and the sclera. The human choroid is thickest at the far extreme rear ...
in a letter to
Edme Mariotte Edme Mariotte (; ; c. 162012 May 1684) was a French physicist and priest ( abbé). He is particularly well known for formulating Boyle's law independently of Robert Boyle. Mariotte is also credited with designing the first Newton's cradle. Biogr ...
, dated 13 April 1684. That same year he published an article in the ''
Journal des sçavans The ''Journal des sçavans'' (later renamed ''Journal des savans'' and then ''Journal des savants,'' lit. ''Journal of the Learned''), established by Denis de Sallo, is the earliest academic journal published in Europe. It is thought to be the ear ...
'' on how to improve the fabrication of lenses for the objectives of
telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe ...
s. Also in 1684, Fatio met the
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
ese Count Fenil, who, having offended the
Duke of Savoy The titles of count, then of duke of Savoy are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. The County of Savoy was elevated to a Duchy of Sav ...
and the
King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...
, had taken refuge in the house of Fatio's maternal grandfather in
Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
and then at Duillier. Fenil confided to Fatio his plan to stage a raid on the beach at
Scheveningen Scheveningen is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict (''wijk'') of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is po ...
to kidnap the Dutch Prince William of Orange. Fenil showed Fatio a letter from the
Marquis de Louvois A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...
, the French Secretary of State, approving of the kidnapping, offering the king's pardon as recompense for the successful completion of the operation, and enclosing an order for money. Fatio betrayed Fenil's plot to
Gilbert Burnet Gilbert Burnet (18 September 1643 – 17 March 1715) was a Scottish philosopher and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was highly respected as a cleric, a preacher, an academic, ...
, whom he then accompanied to Holland in 1686 to warn Prince William.


Career in Holland and England

In Holland, Fatio met
Christiaan Huygens Christiaan Huygens, Lord of Zeelhem, ( , , ; also spelled Huyghens; la, Hugenius; 14 April 1629 – 8 July 1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor, who is regarded as one of the greatest scientists of ...
, with whom he began to collaborate on mathematical problems concerning the new infinitesimal
calculus Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...
. Encouraged by Huygens, Fatio compiled a list of corrections to the published works on differentiation by
Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus (or Tschirnhauß, ; 10 April 1651 – 11 October 1708) was a German mathematician, physicist, physician, and philosopher. He introduced the Tschirnhaus transformation and is considered by some to have been the ...
. The Dutch authorities wished to reward Fatio, whose mathematical abilities Huygens vouched for, with a professorship. While those plans were delayed, Fatio received permission to visit England in the spring of 1687. Fatio arrived in England in June 1687, carrying with him the conviction that the two greatest living natural philosophers were
Robert Boyle Robert Boyle (; 25 January 1627 – 31 December 1691) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, alchemist and inventor. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders of ...
, "for the details of his experiments concerning earthly bodies", and Christiaan Huygens "for physics in general, above all in those areas in which it is involved with mathematics." Fatio hoped to procure Boyle's patronage, and in London he soon made the acquaintance of
John Wallis John Wallis (; la, Wallisius; ) was an English clergyman and mathematician who is given partial credit for the development of infinitesimal calculus. Between 1643 and 1689 he served as chief cryptographer for Parliament and, later, the royal ...
,
John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...
,
Richard Hampden Richard Hampden (baptized 13 October 1631 – 15 December 1695) was an English Whig politician and son of Ship money tax protester John Hampden. He was sworn a Privy Counsellor in 1689 and was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 18 March 1690 unti ...
, and his son
John Hampden John Hampden (24 June 1643) was an English landowner and politician whose opposition to arbitrary taxes imposed by Charles I made him a national figure. An ally of Parliamentarian leader John Pym, and cousin to Oliver Cromwell, he was one of th ...
, among other important figures connected with the Whig party. Fatio worked out new solutions of the "inverse tangent problem" (i.e.,the solution of
ordinary differential equation In mathematics, an ordinary differential equation (ODE) is a differential equation whose unknown(s) consists of one (or more) function(s) of one variable and involves the derivatives of those functions. The term ''ordinary'' is used in contrast w ...
s) and was introduced to the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
by
Henri Justel Henri Justel (1619–1693) was a French scholar and royal administrator, and also a bibliophile and librarian. He is known also as Henry Justel and Henricus Justellus. He was son of the scholar Christophe Justel. He acted as a secretary to Loui ...
. He began to attend Society's meetings in June of that year, thus learning of the upcoming publication of Newton's '' Principia''. In the winter of 1687 Fatio went to the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
, where he collaborated with
Edward Bernard Edward Bernard (1638 – 12 January 1697) was an English scholar and Savilian professor of astronomy at the University of Oxford, from 1673 to 1691. Life He was born at Paulerspury, Northamptonshire. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, ...
, the
Savilian Professor of Astronomy The position of Savilian Professor of Astronomy was established at the University of Oxford in 1619. It was founded (at the same time as the Savilian Professor of Geometry, Savilian Professorship of Geometry) by Henry Savile (Bible translator), S ...
, in an investigation into the units of measurement used in the ancient world.


Participation in the Royal Society

Aged only 24, Fatio was elected
fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
on 2 May 1688. That year, Fatio gave an account of Huygens's mechanical explanation of gravitation before the Royal Society, in which he tried to connect Huygens' theory with
Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...
's work on universal gravitation. Fatio's personal prospects seemed to brighten even further as a result of the
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
of 1688–9, which marked the ascendancy of the Whigs and culminated with
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
deposing the Catholic King James II and giving the English throne jointly to James's Protestant daughter
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
and to her husband, the Dutch
Prince William of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from ...
. Fatio also had an opportunity to enhance his intellectual reputation during Huygen's visit to London in the summer of 1689. Fatio met Newton, probably for the first time, at a meeting of the Royal Society on 12 June 1689. Newton and Fatio soon became friends and Newton even suggested that the two share rooms in London while Newton attended the post-Revolutionary session of Parliament, to which he had been elected as member for the
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. In 1690, Fatio wrote to Huygens outlining his own understanding of the physical cause of gravity, which would later become known as "
Le Sage's theory of gravitation Le Sage's theory of gravitation is a kinetic theory of gravity originally proposed by Nicolas Fatio de Duillier in 1690 and later by Georges-Louis Le Sage in 1748. The theory proposed a mechanical explanation for Newton's gravitational force in te ...
". Soon after that, he read his letter to Huygens before the Royal Society. Fatio's theory, on which he continued to work until his death, is based on minute particles streaming through space and pushing upon gross bodies, an idea that Fatio probably derived in part from his successful explanation of zodiacal light as sunlight scattered by a cloud of fine dust surrounding the Sun. Fatio turned down Newton's offer to reside in Cambridge as his assistant, seeking instead academic preferment in the Netherlands. In the spring of 1690 he traveled to
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
as tutor to two of John Hampden's nephews. There, Fatio shared with Huygens a list that he had compiled of errata to Newton's ''Principia''. Fatio and Huygens collaborated on problems relating to differential equations, gravity, and optics. At this time, Huygens shared with
Gottfried Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathem ...
some of Fatio's work on differential equations. Fatio returned to London in September 1691, following the death of one of his pupils. He vied unsuccessfully for the Savilian Professorship of Astronomy at Oxford, a post that had been left vacant by the death of his friend Edward Bernard. Fatio convinced Newton to write a new treatise on a general method of
integration Integration may refer to: Biology *Multisensory integration *Path integration * Pre-integration complex, viral genetic material used to insert a viral genome into a host genome *DNA integration, by means of site-specific recombinase technology, ...
, ''De quadratura curvarum''. Initially, he also expected to collaborate with Newton on a new edition of the ''Principia'' that would include Fatio's mechanical explanation of gravity. By the end of 1691, Fatio realised that Newton would not proceed with that project, but he still hoped to collaborate with Newton on corrections to the text of the ''Principia''. In a letter to Huygens, Fatio wrote, concerning those corrections, "I may possibly undertake it myself, as I know no one who so well and thoroughly understands a good part of this book as I do." Newton and Fatio also corresponded extensively on
alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...
between 1689 and 1694, with Fatio acting as an intermediary between Newton and an unnamed Huguenot alchemist, whom modern historians have tentatively identified as M. de Tegny, a captain in the infantry regiment led by Colonel François Dupuy de Cambon. By the summer of 1694, Fatio was employed as a tutor to Wriothesley Russell, the heir of the
Duke of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV's third so ...
, a position for which he had been recommended by Locke. Fatio accompanied his pupil to
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and, during 1697–8, to Holland.


Role in Newton's quarrel with Leibniz

As a result of reading Newton's ''De quadratura curvarum'', Fatio became convinced that Newton had for some time had a complete understanding of the differential and integral calculus, rendering Fatio's own mathematical discoveries superfluous. He reported as much to Huygens in 1692. In 1696,
Johann Bernoulli Johann Bernoulli (also known as Jean or John; – 1 January 1748) was a Swiss mathematician and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He is known for his contributions to infinitesimal calculus and educating L ...
, a close ally of Leibniz, posed the
brachistochrone problem In physics and mathematics, a brachistochrone curve (), or curve of fastest descent, is the one lying on the plane between a point ''A'' and a lower point ''B'', where ''B'' is not directly below ''A'', on which a bead slides frictionlessly unde ...
as a challenge to the mathematicians who claimed to understand the new calculus. The problem was solved by Leibniz, Tschirnhaus, L'Hôpital,
Jacob Bernoulli Jacob Bernoulli (also known as James or Jacques; – 16 August 1705) was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He was an early proponent of Leibnizian calculus and sided with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz during the Le ...
, and Newton. In 1699, Fatio published ''Lineæ brevissimæ descensus investigatio geometrica duplex, cui addita est investigatio geometrica solidi rotundi in quo minima fiat resistentia'' ("A two-fold geometrical investigation of the line of briefest descent, to which is added a geometric investigation of the
solid of revolution In geometry, a solid of revolution is a solid figure obtained by rotating a plane figure around some straight line (the ''axis of revolution'') that lies on the same plane. The surface created by this revolution and which bounds the solid is the ...
that produces the minimum resistance"), a pamphlet containing his own solutions to the brachistochrone and to another problem, treated by Newton in book II of the ''Principia'' (see
Newton's minimal resistance problem Newton's minimal resistance problem is a problem of finding a solid of revolution which experiences a minimum resistance when it moves through a homogeneous fluid with constant velocity in the direction of the axis of revolution, named after Isaac ...
), in what is now called the "
calculus of variations The calculus of variations (or Variational Calculus) is a field of mathematical analysis that uses variations, which are small changes in functions and functionals, to find maxima and minima of functionals: mappings from a set of functions t ...
". In his book, Fatio drew attention to his own original work on the calculus from 1687, while stressing Newton's absolute priority and questioning the claims of Leibniz and his followers. This provoked angry responses from Johann Bernoulli and Leibniz in the ''
Acta Eruditorum (from Latin: ''Acts of the Erudite'') was the first scientific journal of the German-speaking lands of Europe, published from 1682 to 1782. History ''Acta Eruditorum'' was founded in 1682 in Leipzig by Otto Mencke, who became its first editor, ...
''. Leibniz stressed that Newton himself had admitted in his ''Principia'' to Leibniz's independent discovery of the calculus. Fatio's reply to his critics was finally published, in abbreviated form, in 1701. Fatio also corresponded on the history of calculus and on his own theory of gravity with Jacob Bernoulli, by then estranged from his brother Johann. Fatio's writings on the history of the calculus are often cited as precursors to the bitter
priority dispute In science, priority is the credit given to the individual or group of individuals who first made the discovery or propose the theory. Fame and honours usually go to the first person or group to publish a new finding, even if several researchers arr ...
that would erupt between Newton and Leibniz in the 1710s, after the Scottish mathematician
John Keill John Keill FRS (1 December 1671 – 31 August 1721) was a Scottish mathematician, natural philosopher, and cryptographer who was an important defender of Isaac Newton. Biography Keill was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 1 December 1671. His f ...
effectively accused Leibniz of plagiarism.


Contributions to watchmaking

In the 1690s, Fatio discovered a method for piercing a small and well-rounded hole in a
ruby A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sa ...
, using a diamond drill. Such pierced rubies can serve as
jewel bearing A jewel bearing is a plain bearing in which a metal spindle turns in a jewel-lined pivot hole. The hole is typically shaped like a torus and is slightly larger than the shaft diameter. The jewels are typically made from the mineral corundum ...
s in
mechanical watch A mechanical watch is a watch that uses a clockwork mechanism to measure the passage of time, as opposed to quartz watches which function using the vibration modes of a piezoelectric quartz tuning fork, or radio watches, which are quartz watches ...
es, reducing the friction and corrosion of the watch's internal mechanism, and thereby improving both accuracy and working life. Fatio sought unsuccessfully to interest Parisian watchmakers in his invention. Back in London, Fatio partnered with the
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
brothers Peter and Jacob Debaufre (or "de Beaufré"), who kept a successful watchmaking shop in Church Street,
Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...
. In 1704, Fatio and the Debaufres obtained a fourteen-year patent (no. 371) for the sole use in England of Fatio's invention relating to rubies. They later attempted unsuccessfully to have the patent extended to "the sole applying fprecious and more common stones in Clocks and Watches". In March 1705, Fatio exhibited specimens of watches thus jewelled to the Royal Society. The correspondence of Isaac Newton shows that in 1717 Fatio agreed to make a watch for
Richard Bentley Richard Bentley FRS (; 27 January 1662 – 14 July 1742) was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. Considered the "founder of historical philology", Bentley is widely credited with establishing the English school of Hellen ...
in exchange for a payment of £15, and that in 1724 he sought permission from Newton to use Newton's name in advertising his jewelled watches. Fatio's method for piercing rubies remained a speciality of English watchmaking until it was adopted in the Continent in 1768 by
Ferdinand Berthoud Ferdinand Berthoud (born 18 March 1727, in Plancemont-sur-Couvet, Principality of Neuchâtel; died 20 June 1807, in Groslay, Val d'Oise), was a scientist and watchmaker. He became master watchmaker in Paris in 1753. Berthoud, who held the posi ...
. Jewel bearings are still used today in luxury mechanical watches.


Later life and death

Fatio was in Switzerland in 1699, 1700, and 1701. In Duillier he was reconciled to his father and collaborated with his brother Jean-Christophe in surveying the mountains around
Lac Léman , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial la ...
. He also undertook a deep study of the prophetic books in the Bible. Back in London, Fatio worked as a mathematical tutor in
Spitalfields Spitalfields is a district in the East End of London and within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The area is formed around Commercial Street (on the A1202 London Inner Ring Road) and includes the locale around Brick Lane, Christ Church, ...
. In 1706 he began to associate with the
Camisards Camisards were Huguenots (French Protestants) of the rugged and isolated Cévennes region and the neighbouring Vaunage in southern France. In the early 1700s, they raised a resistance against the persecutions which followed Louis XIV's Revocation ...
, a radical group of Huguenot exiles who had fled from France during the
Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...
in that country. The group with which Fatio became affiliated was known as the "French prophets" and preached impending destruction and judgment. The British government suspected the
millenarian Millenarianism or millenarism (from Latin , "containing a thousand") is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming fundamental transformation of society, after which "all things will be changed". Millenariani ...
French prophets of contriving a political scheme, and in 1707 Élie Marion, Jean Daudé, and Fatio were tried before the
Queen's Bench The King's Bench (), or, during the reign of a female monarch, the Queen's Bench ('), refers to several contemporary and historical courts in some Commonwealth jurisdictions. * Court of King's Bench (England), a historic court court of common ...
on charges brought against them by the mainstream Huguenot churches in London. The three were convicted of
sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...
and sentenced to the
pillory The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stocks ...
. On 2 December, Fatio stood on a scaffold at
Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
with an inscription on his hat that read By the influence of the
Duke of Ormonde The peerage title Earl of Ormond and the related titles Duke of Ormonde and Marquess of Ormonde have a long and complex history. An earldom of Ormond has been created three times in the Peerage of Ireland. History of Ormonde titles The earldo ...
, to whose brother, Lord Arran, Fatio had been tutor, he was protected from the violence of the mob. Fatio was among those who believed in the prophecy that
Thomas Emes Thomas Emes (died 1707), known as "the prophet", was a quack doctor and millenarian who practiced as a surgeon among the poorer classes of England. In the hope of obtaining notoriety he allied himself with the Camisards. He died at Old Street Sq ...
would be raised from the dead, attracting ridicule and condemnation even from his own brother. In 1711 Fatio travelled to
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, Halle, and
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
as a missionary of the French prophets. A second mission in 1712–13 took him to
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
,
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
, Halle,
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
,
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
, and Rome. Fatio then moved to Holland, where he wrote accounts of his missions and of the prophecies delivered during them. Some of these accounts, in French and Latin, were published in 1714. Back in London, Fatio once again communicated with the Royal Society, of which his old friend Sir Isaac Newton had been president since 1704. In 1717 Fatio presented a series of papers on the
precession of the equinoxes In astronomy, axial precession is a gravity-induced, slow, and continuous change in the orientation of an astronomical body's rotational axis. In the absence of precession, the astronomical body's orbit would show axial parallelism. In particu ...
and
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
, subjects that he regarded from both a scientific and a millenarian perspective. In the spring of that same year he moved to
Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
, where he formed some congenial friendships and busied himself with scientific pursuits,
alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...
, and study of the
cabbala Christian Kabbalah arose during the Renaissance due to Christian scholars' interest in the mysticism of Kabbalah, Jewish Kabbalah, which they interpreted according to Christian theology. It is often transliterated as Cabala (also ''Cabbala'') t ...
. Fatio would spend the rest of his life in Worcester and nearby
Madresfield Madresfield is a village and civil parish in the administrative district of Malvern Hills in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is located about two miles east of Malvern town centre at the foot of the Malvern Hills and is less than two ...
. After the death of Isaac Newton in 1727, Fatio composed a poetic hymn (
eclogue An eclogue is a poem in a classical style on a pastoral subject. Poems in the genre are sometimes also called bucolics. Overview The form of the word ''eclogue'' in contemporary English developed from Middle English , which came from Latin , whi ...
) on Newton's genius, written in Latin and published in 1728. According to modern Newton scholar Robert Iliffe, this is "the most interesting poetic response to Newton". In 1732, Fatio collaborated with Newton's nephew-in-law and executor,
John Conduitt John Conduitt (; c. 8 March 1688 – 23 May 1737), of Cranbury Park, Hampshire, was a British landowner and Whig politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1721 to 1737. He was married to the half-niece of Sir Isaac Newton, whom Conduitt s ...
, in the design of the funerary monument to Newton in
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
, and in composing the inscription for it. At that time, Fatio also sought Conduitt's help in his effort (which was ultimately unsuccessful) to obtain a belated reward for having saved the Prince of Orange from Count Fenil's kidnapping plot. Fatio died on 28 April or 12 May 1753 in Madresfield and was buried at the church of St. Nicholas, Worcester. His compatriot
Georges-Louis Le Sage Georges-Louis Le Sage (; 13 June 1724 – 9 November 1803) was a Genevan physicist and is most known for his theory of gravitation, for his invention of an electric telegraph and his anticipation of the kinetic theory of gases. Furthermore, he ...
later purchased many of his scientific papers which, together with those of Le Sage, are now in the Geneva Library.


Legacy


Inventions

Throughout his long life Fatio proposed and developed various technological innovations. Undoubtedly the most significant of these was the
jewel bearing A jewel bearing is a plain bearing in which a metal spindle turns in a jewel-lined pivot hole. The hole is typically shaped like a torus and is slightly larger than the shaft diameter. The jewels are typically made from the mineral corundum ...
, still used today in the manufacture of luxury mechanical watches. But Fatio's efforts as an inventor extended into many areas beyond watchmaking. To optimise the capture of
solar energy Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essenti ...
and thereby increase agricultural yields, Fatio suggested building sloping fruit walls, precisely angled to maximize the collection of heat from sunlight. Having supervised the building of such walls in
Belvoir Castle Belvoir Castle ( ) is a faux historic castle and stately home in Leicestershire, England, situated west of the town of Grantham and northeast of Melton Mowbray. The Castle was first built immediately after the Norman Conquest of 1066 an ...
, in 1699 he published an illustrated treatise that described his invention and included theoretical considerations about solar radiation. That work appeared with the imprimatur of the Royal Society. Fatio also proposed a tracking mechanism that could pivot to follow the Sun. Such ideas were superseded by the development of modern
greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...
s. One must add to the catalogue of Fatio's inventions his early work on improving the grinding of lenses for the objectives of telescopes, as well as his later proposals for taking advantage of a ship's motion to grind corn, saw, raise anchors, and hoist rigging. He also contrived a ship's observatory and measured the height of the mountains surrounding Geneva, planning, but never completing, a detailed map of Lac Léman.


Push-shadow gravity

Fatio considered that his greatest work was his explanation of Newtonian gravity in terms of collisions between ordinary matter and aetherial corpuscles moving rapidly in all directions. Fatio was motivated by Huygens's earlier work on a "mechanical" explanation of gravity in terms of contact interactions between ordinary matter and an aether, and perhaps also by the success of his explanation of
zodiacal light The zodiacal light (also called false dawn when seen before sunrise) is a faint glow of diffuse sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. Brighter around the Sun, it appears in a particularly dark night sky to extend from the Sun's direction in ...
as sunlight scattered by an interplanetary cloud of fine particles. The need to make the collisions between ordinary matter and the aetherial corpuscles
inelastic In economics, elasticity measures the percentage change of one economic variable in response to a percentage change in another. If the price elasticity of the demand of something is -2, a 10% increase in price causes the demand quantity to fall ...
implied that Fatio's aetherial corpuscles must also exert a drag resistance on the motion of celestial bodies. Fatio therefore failed to interest Huygens (who believed in the conservation of ''
vis viva ''Vis viva'' (from the Latin for "living force") is a historical term used for the first recorded description of what we now call kinetic energy in an early formulation of the principle of conservation of energy. Overview Proposed by Gottfried L ...
'') in his proposal. Huygens may also have found Fatio's theory uncongenial because it assumed an empty space in which the aetherial corpuscles moved, a view contrary to the
plenism In physics, horror vacui, or plenism (), commonly stated as "nature abhors a vacuum", is a postulate attributed to Aristotle, who articulated a belief, later criticized by the atomism of Epicurus and Lucretius, that nature contains no vacuums bec ...
of Huygens and
Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathema ...
, who conceived of the aether as a fluid pervading all of space. Finding that the drag resistance was proportional to the product of the speed and the density of the aetherial corpuscles, while the gravitational attraction was proportional to the density and the ''square'' of the speed of the corpuscles, Fatio concluded that the drag could be made negligible by decreasing the density while increasing the speed. However, despite some initial enthusiasm on the part of Newton and Halley, Fatio's theory of gravity soon fell into oblivion and Newton abandoned all attempts to explain gravity in terms of contact interactions. Fatio corresponded about his theory with
Jacob Bernoulli Jacob Bernoulli (also known as James or Jacques; – 16 August 1705) was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He was an early proponent of Leibnizian calculus and sided with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz during the Le ...
in 1700 and he continued to revise and promote his theory until the end of his life, but he never published that work. A copy of Fatio's manuscript came to the attention of the Genevan mathematician
Gabriel Cramer Gabriel Cramer (; 31 July 1704 – 4 January 1752) was a Genevan mathematician. He was the son of physician Jean Cramer and Anne Mallet Cramer. Biography Cramer showed promise in mathematics from an early age. At 18 he received his doctorate ...
, who in 1731 published a dissertation containing a summary of Fatio's theory, without attribution. Another Genevan,
Georges-Louis Le Sage Georges-Louis Le Sage (; 13 June 1724 – 9 November 1803) was a Genevan physicist and is most known for his theory of gravitation, for his invention of an electric telegraph and his anticipation of the kinetic theory of gases. Furthermore, he ...
, independently re-discovered the same idea before Cramer introduced him to Fatio's work in 1749. Since then, the corresponding theory has been commonly known as "
Le Sage's theory of gravitation Le Sage's theory of gravitation is a kinetic theory of gravity originally proposed by Nicolas Fatio de Duillier in 1690 and later by Georges-Louis Le Sage in 1748. The theory proposed a mechanical explanation for Newton's gravitational force in te ...
". The success of the
kinetic theory of gases Kinetic (Ancient Greek: κίνησις “kinesis”, movement or to move) may refer to: * Kinetic theory, describing a gas as particles in random motion * Kinetic energy, the energy of an object that it possesses due to its motion Art and enter ...
contributed to reviving interest in the Fatio-Le Sage theory during the second half of the 19th century. In 1878,
James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and scientist responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism and ligh ...
characterized it as "the only theory of the cause of gravitation which has been so far developed as to be capable of being attacked and defended." Another leading physicist who took this theory seriously was Nobel laureate
J. J. Thomson Sir Joseph John Thomson (18 December 1856 – 30 August 1940) was a British physicist and Nobel Laureate in Physics, credited with the discovery of the electron, the first subatomic particle to be discovered. In 1897, Thomson showed that c ...
. Fatio's account of his gravitational theory finally published in 1929, in an edition prepared by the German historian of mathematics Karl Bopp, and then again independently in 1949 by Bernard Gagnebin, the conservator of manuscripts at the Geneva Library. Even though the modern scientific consensus is that the Fatio-Le Sage theory is inviable as an account of gravity, the process that he described does give rise to an attractive inverse-square force between particles immersed in a rare medium at a higher temperature.
George Gamow George Gamow (March 4, 1904 – August 19, 1968), born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov ( uk, Георгій Антонович Гамов, russian: Георгий Антонович Гамов), was a Russian-born Soviet and American polymath, theoreti ...
proposed in 1949 that such a "mock gravity" could have played a role in
galaxy formation The study of galaxy formation and evolution is concerned with the processes that formed a heterogeneous universe from a homogeneous beginning, the formation of the first galaxies, the way galaxies change over time, and the processes that have ge ...
after the
Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
. A. M. Ignatov showed in 1996 that a similar process produces an attraction between dust grains in a
dusty plasma A dusty plasma is a plasma containing micrometer (10−6) to nanometer (10−9) sized particles suspended in it. Dust particles are charged and the plasma and particles behave as a plasma. Dust particles may form larger particles resulting in "gra ...
.


Cultural references

The Genevan naturalist
Jean Senebier Jean Senebier (6 or 25 May 1742 – 22 July 1809) was a Genevan Calvinist pastor and naturalist. He was chief librarian of the Republic of Geneva. A pioneer in the field of photosynthesis research, he provided extensive evidence that plants co ...
, writing thirty years after Fatio's death, declared that Two scholarly biographies of Isaac Newton published in the 20th century,
Frank E. Manuel Frank Edward Manuel (12 September 1910 – 2003) was an American historian, Kenan Professor of History, emeritus, at New York University and Alfred and Viola Hart University Professor, emeritus, at Brandeis University. He was known for his work on ...
's ''A Portrait of Isaac Newton'' (1968) and
Richard S. Westfall Richard S. Westfall (April 22, 1924 – August 21, 1996) was an American academic, biography, biographer and historian of science. He is best known for his biography of Isaac Newton and his work on the scientific revolution of the 17th century. ...
's ''Never at Rest'' (1980) considered at length the personal relationship between Fatio and Newton. Manuel and Westfall both suggested that there might have been a sentimental or sexual element to the attachment between both men, and that Newton's nervous breakdown in 1693 might have been connected with a rupture in that relationship. A similar interpretation appears in Michael White's popular biography ''Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer'' (1997). On the other hand, historian Scott Mandelbrote writes: Mandelbrote's judgment has found support in later work by professional historians specializing on Newton, including Robert Iliffe and William R. Newman. According to Newman, Fatio's connection with Newton has been treated in several works of historical fiction. He appears as a supporting character in Michael White's novel ''Equinox'' (2006), in
Neal Stephenson Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, postcyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work exp ...
's trilogy ''
The Baroque Cycle ''The Baroque Cycle'' is a series of novels by American writer Neal Stephenson. It was published in three volumes containing eight books in 2003 and 2004. The story follows the adventures of a sizable cast of characters living amidst some of th ...
'' (2003–04), and in
Gregory Keyes Gregory Keyes (born April 11, 1963) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy who has written both original and media-related novels under both the names J. Gregory Keyes and Greg Keyes. Early life Keyes was born in Meridian, Mississi ...
's novel series ''
The Age of Unreason ''The Age of Unreason'' is a series of four novels written by Gregory Keyes: * ''Newton's Cannon'' (1998), * ''A Calculus of Angels'' (1999), * ''Empire of Unreason'' (2000), * '' The Shadows of God'' (2001), Its title is a reference to Th ...
'' (1998–2001).


Works


Books

Fatio was the author of the following works, published in book form during his lifetime: * ''Epistola de mari æneo Salomonis'' ("Letter on Solomon's Brazen Sea"), in
Edward Bernard Edward Bernard (1638 – 12 January 1697) was an English scholar and Savilian professor of astronomy at the University of Oxford, from 1673 to 1691. Life He was born at Paulerspury, Northamptonshire. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, ...
's ''De Mensuris et Ponderibus antiquis Libri tres'' ("On Ancient Measures and Weights, in three books"), 8vo, Oxford, 1688 * ''Lineæ brevissimæ descensus investigatio geometrica duplex, cui addita est investigatio geometrica solidi rotundi in quo minima fiat resistentia'' ("A two-fold geometrical investigation of the line of briefest descent, to which is added a geometric investigation of the
solid of revolution In geometry, a solid of revolution is a solid figure obtained by rotating a plane figure around some straight line (the ''axis of revolution'') that lies on the same plane. The surface created by this revolution and which bounds the solid is the ...
that produces the minimum resistance"), 4to, London, 1699 * ''Fruit-walls improved by inclining them to the horizon'', by a member of the Royal Society (signed N. F. D.), 4to, London, 1699 *
N. Facii Duillerii Neutonus. Ecloga.
' ("N. Fatio de Duillier's Newton.
Eclogue An eclogue is a poem in a classical style on a pastoral subject. Poems in the genre are sometimes also called bucolics. Overview The form of the word ''eclogue'' in contemporary English developed from Middle English , which came from Latin , whi ...
."), 8vo, Oxford, 1728 * ''Navigation improved: being chiefly the method for finding the latitude at sea as well as by land, by taking any proper altitudes, with the time between the observations'', fol., London, 1728 With Jean Allut, Elie Marion, and other of the " French prophets", Fatio issued a prophecy with the title ''Plan de la Justice de Dieu sur la terre dans ces derniers jours et du relévement de la chûte de l'homme par son péché'' ("Plan of God's Justice upon the earth in these last days, and of the release of man's fall by his sin") 2 parts, 8vo, 1714, of which a Latin version appeared during the same year.


Periodicals

In periodicals Fatio published the following works: * ''Lettre sur la manière de faire des Bassins pour travailler les verres objectifs des Telescopes'' ("Letter on the manner of making basins for grinding the objective glasses of telescopes"), ''
Journal des sçavans The ''Journal des sçavans'' (later renamed ''Journal des savans'' and then ''Journal des savants,'' lit. ''Journal of the Learned''), established by Denis de Sallo, is the earliest academic journal published in Europe. It is thought to be the ear ...
'', Paris, 1684 * ''Lettre à M. Cassini touchant une lumière extraordinaire qui paroît dans le Ciel depuis quelques années'' ("Letter to Mr. Cassini concerning the extraordinary light that has appeared in the Heavens for some years"), in Jean Leclerc's ''Bibliothèque Universelle et Historique'', vol. III, Amsterdam, 1686 * ''Réflexions sur une méthode de trouver les tangentes de certaines lignes courbes, qui vient d'être publiée dans un livre intitulé:'' Medicina Mentis ("Reflections on a method for finding the
tangent In geometry, the tangent line (or simply tangent) to a plane curve at a given point is the straight line that "just touches" the curve at that point. Leibniz defined it as the line through a pair of infinitely close points on the curve. More ...
s of certain curves, recently published in a book titled ''Medicina Mentis''"), ''Bibliothèque Universelle et Historique'', vol. V, 1687 * ''Excerpta ex suâ responsione ad excerpta ex litteris J. Bernouilli'' ("Excerpts from his response to excerpts from a letter by
Johann Bernoulli Johann Bernoulli (also known as Jean or John; – 1 January 1748) was a Swiss mathematician and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He is known for his contributions to infinitesimal calculus and educating L ...
"), ''
Acta Eruditorum (from Latin: ''Acts of the Erudite'') was the first scientific journal of the German-speaking lands of Europe, published from 1682 to 1782. History ''Acta Eruditorum'' was founded in 1682 in Leipzig by Otto Mencke, who became its first editor, ...
'', Leipzig, 1700 * "Epistola ad fratrem Joh. Christoph. Facium, qua vindicat Solutionem suam Problematis de inveniendo solido rotundo seu tereti in quo minima fiat resistentia" ("Letter to his brother Jean Christophe Fatio, vindicating his solution to the problem of the solid of revolution that produces the minimum resistance"), ''
Philosophical Transactions ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...
'', vol. XXVIII, pp. 172–6, 1713 * "Four theorems, with their demonstration, for determining accurately the sun's parallax", ''Miscellanea curiosa mathematica'', vol. II, no. 1 (London, 1745) Fatio also contributed articles on astronomy and ancient Hebrew units of measurement to nearly every number of the ''
Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...
'' for 1737–38.


Manuscripts

Upon his death, Fatio left a number of manuscripts, some of which passed into the hands of Dr. James Johnstone of
Kidderminster Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it had ...
. Others were acquired by Prof.
Georges-Louis Le Sage Georges-Louis Le Sage (; 13 June 1724 – 9 November 1803) was a Genevan physicist and is most known for his theory of gravitation, for his invention of an electric telegraph and his anticipation of the kinetic theory of gases. Furthermore, he ...
of Geneva, who amassed a large collection of Fatio's letters, now at the ''
Bibliothèque de Genève The Bibliothèque de Genève (BGE, English: Geneva Library, Library of Geneva), founded in 1559, was known as ''Bibliothèque publique et universitaire'' (BPU, English: Public and University Library) from 1907 to 2006. It occupies different build ...
''. A few of Fatio's papers and letters are in the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
. Among them is a Latin poem entitled ''N. Facii Duellerii Auriacus Throno-servatus'' ("N. Fatio de Duillier's Orange Throne Preserved", Addit. MS. 4163), containing a narrative of Count Fenil's plot against Prince William of Orange, as well as a description of Fatio's jewelled watches. A series of letters to Sir
Hans Sloane Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet (16 April 1660 – 11 January 1753), was an Irish physician, naturalist, and collector, with a collection of 71,000 items which he bequeathed to the British nation, thus providing the foundation of the British Mu ...
(ib. 4044) extend from 1714 to 1736. Other letters of his are in fasciculus 2 of ''C. Hugenii aliorumque seculi xvii. virorum celebrium Exercitationes Mathematicæ et Philosophicæ'', 4to, the Hague, 1833.


Posthumous publications

Some of Fatio's letters were included in the correspondence volumes of the ''Oeuvres complètes'' ("Complete Works") of
Christiaan Huygens Christiaan Huygens, Lord of Zeelhem, ( , , ; also spelled Huyghens; la, Hugenius; 14 April 1629 – 8 July 1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor, who is regarded as one of the greatest scientists of ...
(published between 1888 and 1950 by the Dutch Academy of Sciences) and in ''The Correspondence of Isaac Newton'' (published between 1959 and 1977 by the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
). Fatio's treatise describing his work on the push-shadow theory of gravity circulated during his lifetime only as a manuscript. That work was published, long after his death, in two independent scholarly editions: * * Even though it appeared twenty years earlier, Bopp's edition of Fatio's manuscript is the more complete of the two. The full Latin text of Fatio's 1728
eclogue An eclogue is a poem in a classical style on a pastoral subject. Poems in the genre are sometimes also called bucolics. Overview The form of the word ''eclogue'' in contemporary English developed from Middle English , which came from Latin , whi ...
on Newton, along with an English translation and commentary, was published in: *


Notes


Other sources

* *


External links

* Fatio de Duillier, N.: De la cause de la Pesanteur, 1690–1701, Bopp edition. On pp. 19–22 is an introduction by Bopp (in German). Fatio's paper starts at the end of p. 22 (in French). * Fatio de Duillier, N.
De la Cause de la Pesanteur
1690–1743, Gagnebin edition. For an introduction by Gagnebin, se
Introduction
/small> * Fatio de Duillier, N.: "Letters no
2570
pp. 384–389 an
2582
pp. 407–412, 1690, Huygens Oeuvres, Vol. IX. These letters contain the first written expositions of his gravitational theory. Huygens gave an answer in letter no
2572


{{DEFAULTSORT:Fatio de Duillier, Nicolas Mathematicians from the Republic of Geneva 18th-century Swiss mathematicians 17th-century scientists from the Republic of Geneva 18th-century scientists from the Republic of Geneva Fellows of the Royal Society Swiss Protestants 1664 births 1753 deaths 17th-century Swiss astronomers 18th-century Swiss inventors Clockmakers from the Republic of Geneva Scientists from Basel-Stadt 17th-century Swiss mathematicians 18th-century Swiss astronomers