Diagram in papers for Commercium Epistolicum
Date
10 December 1672
Creator
Unknown, Artist
Object type
Archive reference number
Manuscript page number
p300
Material
Dimensions
height (page): 308mm
width (page): 191mm
width (page): 191mm
Subject
Description
Diagram in Isaac Newton's letter to John Collins dated 10 December 1672, in which Newton showed that Renatus Franciscus Slusius's method of drawing tangents is a particular case of Newton's more general method. Another copy exists in this volume at MS/81/28/020.
This volume contains the letters and papers of John Collins (1625-1683), which came into the possession of William Jones (1675-1749), who used them in Commercium Epistolicum, designed to prove Isaac Newton’s priority over Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in the invention of fluxions.
The original letters were sealed up at the order of the Royal Society's council (25 October 1714) and stored in an iron chest. Further letters used in the 1722 edition of Commercium Epistolicum must have been added and stored with the original papers. These were ordered on 13 September 1737 to be ‘taken out of the Iron Chest’ and entrusted to Jones, who was asked to paste them into a guard-book in one volume (CMO/2/252, CMO/3/73).
This volume contains the letters and papers of John Collins (1625-1683), which came into the possession of William Jones (1675-1749), who used them in Commercium Epistolicum, designed to prove Isaac Newton’s priority over Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in the invention of fluxions.
The original letters were sealed up at the order of the Royal Society's council (25 October 1714) and stored in an iron chest. Further letters used in the 1722 edition of Commercium Epistolicum must have been added and stored with the original papers. These were ordered on 13 September 1737 to be ‘taken out of the Iron Chest’ and entrusted to Jones, who was asked to paste them into a guard-book in one volume (CMO/2/252, CMO/3/73).
Transcription
Endorsed 'No. 46: p. 127, 128 Commerc. Epist. Edit. 1722. Extracts from Mr Gregories Letters To be sent to Monsr Leibnitz to peruse who is desired to returne the same to you.'
Mr Newton in his Letter of 10 December 1672
Transcribed by the Making Visible project
Mr Newton in his Letter of 10 December 1672
Transcribed by the Making Visible project
Object history
Extract (without the diagram) printed in Commercium Epistolicum D. Johannis Collins, et aliorum De analysi promota (London: Typis Pearsonianis, 1712), pp. 46-47; Commercium epistolicum D. Johannis Collins, et aliorum de analysi promota (London: J. Tonson & J. Watts, 1722), pp. 127-28.
Related fellows
Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727, British) , Natural philosopher
John Collins (1625 - 1683, British) , Mathematician, Mathematician
Renatus Franciscus Slusius (1622 - 1685, Belgian) , Mathematician
John Collins (1625 - 1683, British) , Mathematician, Mathematician
Renatus Franciscus Slusius (1622 - 1685, Belgian) , Mathematician
Associated place