Awards
- Commended for Association of American Publishers Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Physics and Astronomy 1994 (United States)
- Commended for Association of American Publishers' Annual Award in Physics and Astronomy 1994
- Commended for Association of American Publishers' Annual Award in Physics and Astronomy 1994.
Overview
Valued today for its development of the third law of planetary motion, Harmonice mundi (1619) was intended by Kepler to expand on ancient efforts to discern a Creator's plan for the planetary system--an arrangement thought to be based on harmonic relationships. Challenging critics who characterize Kepler's theories of harmonic astronomy as ""mystical,"" Bruce Stephenson offers the first thorough technical analysis of the music the astronomer thought the heavens made, and the logic that led him to find musical patterns in his data. In so doing, Stephenson illuminates crucial aspects of Kepler's intellectual development, particularly his ways of classifying and drawing inferences. Beginning with a survey of similar theories associating music with the cyclic motions of planets, from Plato to Boethius, the author highlights Ptolemy's Harmonics, a source of inspiration for Kepler's later work. Turning to Kepler himself, Stephenson gives an account of his polyhedral theory, which explains the number and sizes of the planetary orbits in terms of the five regular poly-hedral.He then examines in detail an early theory that relates the planets' vel-ocities to a musical chord, and analyzes Kepler's unpublished commentary on Ptolemy's Harmonics. Devoting most of his attention to Book Five of Harmonice mundi, in which Kepler elaborated on the musical structure of the planetary system, Stephenson lays important groundwork for any further evaluation of Kepler's scientific thought. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Full Product Details
Author: Bruce Stephenson
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Volume: 228
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 1.50cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.369kg
ISBN: 9780691605968
ISBN 10: 0691605963
Pages: 274
Publication Date: 14 July 2014
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Language: English
Reviews
Honorable Mention for the 1994 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Physics and Astronomy, Association of American Publishers By 1618, Kepler had discovered his harmonic (or third) law of planetary motions... Bruce Stephenson writes with great clarity and precision and leads the reader confidently through this rather complex byway of astronomical history... Kepler's polyhedral theory of planetary distances is then studied in detail, followed by the core of the book: a thorough investigation of Kepler's musical harmonies of the heavens. --New Scientist
