MAUPERTUIS'S FIRST PAPER

MAUPERTUIS, (PIERRE LOUIS MOREAU DE).

Sur une Question de Maximis et Minimis.

Paris, De l'Imprimerie Royale, 1728.. 4to. In a nice contemporary full mottled calf binding with five rasied bands and rchly gilt spines. Gilt borders on covers. In "Histoire de L'Academie Royale des Sciences. Année M. DCCXXVI", entire volume offered. Small tear to upper part of spine and ex-libris pasted on to pasted down front end-paper. A fine copy. Pp. 84-94. [entire volume: (8), 84, 341, (2) pp + 16 folded plates.

First appearance of Maupertuis's first mathematical paper, a solution to the problem maxima and minima.
"His early paper represent the the possibilities opened up by the calculus. [The present paper] is as much an exploration of the power of the method to discover unexpected results as it is the solution to a specific problem. The problem is a simple one from plane geometry: to fine trapezoids of greatest and least area, given certain conditions for the length of the sides." (Terrall, The Man Who Flattened the Earth: Maupertuis).

Order-nr.: 58915