''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 physi ...

by Nicholas Bion, first published 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. 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 Mesopo ...

David M. Knight.

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 onl ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

. 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 limit ...

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