Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) and Rigid Body Dynamics

Edited by Katica (Stevanović) Hedrih

 

The introductory test of this volume is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of Leonhard Euler, one of the most distinguished scientists of the 18th century in the fields of mathematics and mechanics. Born on 15 April 1707 in Basel, Switzerland, he devoted his life to mathematics instead to theology, much against his father wish and owing to famous Bernoulli. Although the majority of his work concerned elementary mathematics, he also contributed significantly to astronomy and physics.

Partially blind in his late twenties and totally blind in his late years, Euler was nonetheless exceptionally productive in his studies – 500 titles appeared during his lifetime and 400 more were published after his death. Laplace used to tell his students: “Read Euler, read Euler! He is the teacher of us all!”