Beschreibung:

BOYLE, Robert (1627-1691). New Experiments physico-mechanical, touching the Spring of the Air, and its Effects . - A Defence of the Doctrine touching the Spring and Weight of the Air ... against the objections of Franciscus Linus . - An Examen of Mr. T. Hobbes his Dialogus Physicus de natur aris . Oxford: H. Hall for T. Robinson [and London: J.G. for Thomas Robinson], 1662. 4 o (201 x 153 mm). 3 engraved plates (2 folding). Modern calf antique. Provenance : Earl of Rosebery (armorial bookplate). Second edition, AND THE FIRST TO CONTAIN THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF BOYLE'S LAW OF GASES. In the second part of this edition, his Defence against the attacks of Linus on the first edition of this work, Boyle states the experimental proof of the law of reciprocity of pressure and volume in a gas, or, "Boyle's law." The second edition is "particularly important for what Boyle called an 'hypothesis' but what we know as 'Boyle's Law': that the volume of air in a confined space varies inversely as the pressure. He demonstrated this by much experimental detail: with experiments on rarefaction performed by others, including Hooke, and on compression performed by himself" (PMM). The first English air pumps were not actually designed by Boyle, but by Robert Hooke who had been taken on as a paid assistant in about 1655. Dibner Heralds of Science 142; Fulton Boyle 14; Grolier/Horblit 15; NLM/Krivatsy 1660; Norman 300; PMM 143; Wing B-3999.