The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China: An Abridgement of Joseph Needham's Original Text

ISBN-13: 9780521315364 / Angielski / Miękka / 1985 / 472 str.

Colin A. Ronan

Opis

In the second volume of his abridgement of Joseph Needham's original text, Colin Ronan looks in detail at the early Chinese contributions to various sciences. The first section deals with mathematics, and it is shown that the Chinese works were comparable with the pre-Renaissance achievements of the old world. This account is written with the non-mathematician in mind. The text is next concerned with the sciences of astronomy and meteorology, followed by the Earth sciences: geography, cartography, geology, seismology and mineralogy. Volume 2 closes with a description of some aspects of Chinese physics, including their predilection for the wave theory as opposed to particles, metrology, statics, hydrostatics, heat, light and sound.

Spis treści

List of illustrations; List of tables; Preface; 1. Mathematics; 2. The sciences of the heavens: (i) astronomy; 3. The sciences of the heavens: (ii) meteorology; 4. The sciences of the earth: (i) geography and map-making; 5. The sciences of the earth: (ii) geology and related sciences; 6. Physics; Table of Chinese dynastics; Bibliography; Index.