''The Construction and Principal Uses of Mathematical Instruments'' (french: Traité de la construction et des principaux usages des instrumens de mathématique) is a

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

by Nicholas Bion, first

publish Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

ed in 1709. It was

translate Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...

d into English in 1723 by

Edmund Stone Edmund Stone (c. 1700 – c. 1768) was an autodidact mathematician from Scotland in the 18th century. Life and work Practically nothing is known about the life of Edmund Stone. He was the son of the gardener of John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Arg ...

. It was described as "the most famous book devoted to instruments" by

historian of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Meso ...

David M. Knight David Marcus Knight (30 November 1936 – 19 January 2018) was Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science at Durham University. Life The son of the Reverend Marcus Knight, later Dean of Exeter, he read chemistry at Keble College, Oxfo ...

Nicholas Bion

Nicholas Bion (french: Nicolas Bion ; 1652–1733) was a French instrument maker and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

with

workshops Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He was king's

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

for mathematical instruments. He died in Paris in 1733 aged 81.

Bibliography

Bion is

of the following: *''L'usage des Globes Célestes et Terrestres et des sphères suivant les differents systèmes du Monde'' (Amsterdam, 1700) *''Usage des Astrolabes'' * ''Traité de la construction et des principaux usages des instrumens de mathématique'' (Paris, 1709
(online version)

References

External links

Online edition
at the Microsoft Cybermuseum
Portrait of Nicholas Bion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Construction and Principal Uses of Mathematical Instruments 1709 books 1709 in science French non-fiction books Engineering books Mathematics books 18th-century French literature

Nicholas Bion

Bibliography

References

Further reading

External links