Éndoxa

UNED - Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

Nº 19  (Año 2005)                     

Más información / TEXTO COMPLETO

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Gerard Mercator´s Three Astrolabes          
Turner, G. L´E. ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 21-41. ISSN: 1133-5351
No scientific instruments made by Gerard Mercator (1512- 1594), the great cartographer, were known to exist, though it is recorded that he made astrolabes and other brass artefacts. In early 1992, the present author identified an unsigned astrolabe in Florence as being made in Mercstor's Duisburg workshop. By 1994, the 400th anniversary of Mercator's death, two fiírther astrolabes had been identified as being by his hand. They are in museums in Augsburg and Brno. This paper describes the mcthod of identifícation of these unsigned instruments, culminating in the discovcry of Mercator's monogram on the rim of the astrolabe in Brno. 

 Microscopical advances: the posterity of Huygens´simple microscope of 1678          
Turner, Anthony ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 41-58. ISSN: 1133-5351
From an examnation of recently rediscovered examples of the simple microscope with spherical lens and specimen revolver, originally developed by Christiaan Huygens, the paper seeks to Ilustrate how the combined study of texts and objects is essential to establishing the evolution of an instrument. Some of the newly discovered Instruments are described and comment ¡s made on the commercial forces which acted in parallel with scientific ones on the development of this particular form of microscope 

 Instrumentos y prácticas de enseñanza de las ciencias físicas y químicas en la Universidad de Valencia, durante el siglo XIX         
Simó Castell, Josep || García Belmar, Antonio || Bertomeu Sánchez, José Ramón ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 59-122. ISSN: 1133-5351
This study is an attempt to reconstruct the evolution of spaces and scientific equipments used for the teaching of physics and chemistry in the University of Valencia in the 19th century. Through an analysis of the instruments' characteristics and their spatial distribution, the teaching programs and textbooks, as well as the profile of the target pubhc, we try in this essay to understand the evolution of the didactic methods employed by the successive teachers and assistants when teaching physics and chemistry in the existing cabinets, amphitheatres and laboratories. 

 Orologi ad acqua nell´antichitá greco-romana        
Di Pasquale, Giovanni ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 125-136. ISSN: 1133-5351
This paper deals with ancient clepsydrae and water docks in Greece and Rome. While clepsydrae are very oíd time measuring instruments, the difíusion of water docks is strictly connected with the development of the mechanical studies. Ctesibius of Alexandria was the first one to understand the bind links between pneumatical toys and the water docks. Really interesting is the description of the Archimedes water dock, a complex device whose mechanical engine is just similar to the Vitruviu's odometer. 

 Los instrumentos y su contexto. El caso de la Marina española en el siglo XVIII          
Sellés García, Manuel ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 137-158. ISSN: 1133-5351
The paper deals with problems and needs derived from the acquisition and use of instrumens by an institution such as the Spanish Navy in the context of 18th Century. In order to analize the results of the Navy instrumentation policy, particular elements are examined, such as the composition of the institution, its priorities, and different issues concerning technical and educational factors 

 El barómetro y los proyectos meteorológicos de la Ilustración: el caso español         
Guijarro Mora, Víctor ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 159-190. ISSN: 1133-5351
In Spain, apart from popular uses, the barometer was concicved in the 15th Century to supply cuantitative observations in order to establish climatic parameters. These projects were supported by a dominant utilitarian mentality: after the examination of data it was supposed that relevant conclusions could be obtained for the knowledge of healthy environmental conditions as well as for the improvement of agricultural skills. This, in turn, focused the attention on a type of barometer in which reliability, and not extreme precisión, was the priority. 

 El uso de instrumentos científicos en los primeros vuelos aerostáticos tripulados          
Molina García, Juan Alberto ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 191-224. ISSN: 1133-5351
 
 The role of instruments in the dissemination of the Chemical Revolution          
Levere, Trevor H. ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 227-242. ISSN: 1133-5351
The spread of the late eighteenth-century chemical revolution depended on access to appropriate apparatus. Theories depend upon practice, which depends upon instruments. Pneumatic chemistry required new apparatus for the isolation, measurement, and admixture of difFerent gases. Lavoisier's pneumatic chemistry invoived his new, refined, expensive gasometers. The development of cheaper but still fimctional gasometers by chemists and instrument makers enabled chemists outside Paris to repeat and extend Lavoisier's key experiments. Lavoisier's superb precisión balances were an important part of his arsenal. Glass apparatus made increasing demands on glass blowers. The bottle faetones that had supplied Black in Edinburgh and later Proust in Segovia were no longer adequate. 

 Erudición, magia y espectáculo. El juicio de la República de las letras sobre Athanasius Kircher          
Solís Santos, Carlos ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 243-314. ISSN: 1133-5351
Athanasius Kircher was commonly addressed with courdiest reverence by his contemporaries, but he was frequendy criticized and even despised in private correspondence. We examine here the evolution of die negative appraisal of his work by the members of the Republic of Letters in France, Italy, Germany and England, and we identify Kircher's shortcomings with the ideological attitude of Jesuit science aimed at uprooting the scientific world view. 

 Analysing unsuccesful experiments and instruments with the replication method          
Heering, Peter ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 315-341. ISSN: 1133-5351
The aim of this paper is to discuss instruments and experiments from the history of physics that were rejected in the historical situation. As a consequence, only very few of these devices were produced —and virtually none of them did survive. Thus, in order to develop an understanding of the experimental practice connected with these devices the replication method is applied. In short, this method— which will be discussed on a general level in the first part of the paper —is based on self-reflexive interaction with reconstructed apparatus and the contextualisation of the experiences made in the laboratory. The example of experiments published by Jean Paul Marat in the 1780ies shall illustrate the usefiílness of this method in order to develop an understanding of experiments that were rejected in the historical situation. 

 El regreso del experimentador y la metodología de la apertura de las cajas negras        
Armero Sanjosé, Julio César ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 343-358. ISSN: 1133-5351
The experimenter's regress is one of the arguments that seem to back epistemológica! relativism. It has been noted that it carries a cióse resemblance to the hermeneutical circle. This paper tries to show how the hindrances for scientific practice involved in the situation described by the argument appear in unrelated áreas of research and how the difficulties are dealt with. The comparative approach seems to throw some light on a few features of baconian science often made dependent upon wide sociological fact. 

 El concepto biológico de naturaleza: un intrumento cognitivo        
Galera Gómez, Andrés ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 359-372. ISSN: 1133-5351
The term scientific instrument has habitually a material meaning, is the physical tool utilized to investígate the nature. In this artlcle we analyze some of the conceptual Instruments employed by the naturalists to interpret the Information obtained by means of observation and experimentation to build a theoretical model of nature. 

 Thomas S. Kuhn y la función de los instrumentos científicos en el desarrollo de las ciencias físicas         
Mayoral de Lucas, Juan Vicente ||
Éndoxa (19), 2005, p. 373-425. ISSN: 1133-5351
This is a study of Kuhn's ideas regarding the role of physical instruments in the histórica! development of physical sciences. Its approach to Kuhn's thought is primarily historical and biographical, and it makes extensive use of Kuhn's archival sources at MIT to settle a group of ideas of Kuhn's as a basis out of which that role follows almost naturaily. It starts out with an introduction to the «operational» history of science Kuhn found as an assistant to Conant. It runs on talking about Kuhn's divergent opinions about the proper place of concepts in both physical research and theory. It ends with an account of Kuhn's new historical visión of science (including the role of instruments in it), and its relations to that of Alexandre Koyré's (another key influence on his thought) 

 Newton, Isaaac: Análisis de cantidades mediante series, fluxiones y diferencias, con una enumeración de las líneas de tercer orden         
Mayoral De Lucas, J.V. ||
ENDOXA (19), 427-436
 
 Obras escogidas de Miguel Sánchez-Mazas         
Yuste, P. ||
ENDOXA (19), 437