1706 in science

List of years in science (table)
... 1696 1697 1698 1699 1700 1701 1702 ... 1703 1704 1705 1706 1707 1708 1709 ... 1710 1711 1712 1713 1714 1715 1716 ...
Art Archaeology Architecture Literature Music Philosophy Science +...

The year 1706 in science and technology involved some significant events.

Mathematics

• William Jones publishes Synopsis palmariorum matheseos or, A New Introduction to the Mathematics, Containing the Principles of Arithmetic and Geometry Demonstrated in a Short and Easie Method ... Designed for ... Beginners in which he
  • proposes using the symbol π (the Greek letter pi, as an abbreviation for perimeter) to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
  • introduces John Machin's quickly converging inverse-tangent series for π (pi), enabling it to be computed to 100 decimal places.^[1]

Medicine

• Giovanni Battista Morgagni publishes Adversaria anatomica, the first in a series in which he describes his observations of human anatomy.

Technology

• Francis Hauksbee produces his 'Influence machine' to generate static electricity.^[2]

Publications

• Johann Jakob Scheuchzer begins publication in Zürich of his Beschreibung der Naturgeschichte des Schweitzerlandes giving an account of the natural history and geology of Switzerland.

Births

• January 17 – Benjamin Franklin, American scientist and inventor, known for his experiments with electricity (died 1790)
• January 28 – John Baskerville, English printer and inventor (died 1775)
• February 11 – Nils Rosén von Rosenstein, Swedish pediatrician (died 1773)
• May 12 – François Boissier de Sauvages de Lacroix, French physician and botanist (died 1767)
• June 10 – John Dollond, English optician (died 1761)
• December 17 – Émilie du Châtelet, French mathematician and physicist (died 1749)

Deaths

• Date unknown – Jeanne Dumée, French astronomer

References

1. O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "1706 in science", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews.
2. Burke, James (1978). Connections. London: Macmillan. p. 75. ISBN 0-333-24827-9.