Related papers: Euler and the Ordinary Differential Equations
Eugene Wigner famously argued for the "unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics" for describing physics and other natural sciences in his 1960 essay. That essay has now led to some 55 years of (sometimes anguished) soul searching ---…
Particular families of special functions, conceived as purely mathematical devices between the end of XVIII and the beginning of XIX centuries, have played a crucial role in the development of many aspects of modern Physics. This is indeed…
A Thesis about Euler discussing the possibilities and limits of his method of work in Mathematics.
Leonhard Euler, the most prolific mathematician in history, contributed to advance a wide spectrum of topics in celestial mechanics. At the Saint Petersburg Observatory, Euler observed sunspots and tracked the movements of the Moon.…
We consider the mathematical theory of geographical maps, with an emphasis on the eighteenth century works of Euler, Lagrange and Delisle. This period is characterized by the frequent use of maps that are no more obtained by the…
In this note we will present how Euler's investigations on various different subjects lead to certain properties of the Legendre polynomials. More precisely, we will show that the generating function and the difference equation for the…
We apply Benacerraf's distinction between mathematical ontology and mathematical practice (or the structures mathematicians use in practice) to examine contrasting interpretations of infinitesimal mathematics of the 17th and 18th century,…
In this paper we propose a new point of view on weak solutions of the Euler equations, describing the motion of an ideal incompressible fluid in $\mathbb{R}^n$ with $n\geq 2$. We give a reformulation of the Euler equations as a differential…
The subject of our discussion is the theory of differential equations as set out in two classical Euler's textbooks "Institutiones Calculi Differentialis" and "Institutiones Calculi Integralis".
Back in 1755, Euler explored an interesting array of numbers that now frequently appears in polynomial identities, combinatorial problems, and finite calculus, among other places. These numbers share a strong connection with well-known…
Leonhard Euler likely developed his summation formula in 1732, and soon used it to estimate the sum of the reciprocal squares to 14 digits --- a value mathematicians had been competing to determine since Leibniz's astonishing discovery that…
We survey the main ideas in the early history of the subjects on which Riemann worked and that led to some of his most important discoveries. The subjects discussed include the theory of functions of a complex variable, elliptic and Abelian…
We review Euler's work on spherical geometry. After an introduction concerning the general place that trigonometric formulae occupy in geometry, we start by the two memoirs of Euler on spherical trigonometry, in which he establishes the…
We provide some historical context to the study of solid angles carried out by Euler in his memoir \emph{De mensura angulorum solidorum} (On the measure of solid angles). We extend our study to the general notion of angle (not only solid).…
We review and comment on some works of Euler and his followers on spherical geometry. We start by presenting some memoirs of Euler on spherical trigonometry. We comment on Euler's use of the methods of the calculus of variations in…
The variational properties of the scalar so--called ``Universal'' equations are reviewed and generalised. In particular, we note that contrary to earlier claims, each member of the Euler hierarchy may have an explicit field dependence. The…
Heuristic arguments and order of magnitude estimates for partial differential equations highlight essential features of the physics they describe. We present order of magnitude estimates, and their limitations, for the three classic second…
These lecture notes provide a self-contained introduction to Euler integrals, which are frequently encountered in applications. In particle physics, they arise as Feynman integrals or string amplitudes. Our four selected topics demonstrate…
This short essay celebrates the mathematical meaning of Pi Day through Euler's formula \[ e^{ix}=\cos x+i\sin x, \] from which Euler's identity \[ e^{i\pi}+1=0 \] follows immediately. We briefly note the historical background of the…
We consider a classial case of irrational integrals containing a square root of a quadratic polynomial. It is well known that they can be expressed in terms of elementary functions by one of three Euler's substitutions. It is less known…