engleski

Ruđer Bošković's expert analyses in hydraulic engineering

As a young professor of mathematics at the Collegium Romanum, Bošković had already shown an interest in hydraulic engineering, and when he was appointed to the chair of mathematics in Pavia, he proposed his own curriculum in Piano scientifico (1764), suggesting that lectures on hydraulics be introduced for the second-year students of mathematics, and a tutorial on navigation for these students who were interested. In his relations with his fellow Jesuits, Bošković did not refrain from criticism, whether competing with Leonardo Ximenes (Firenze) or collaborating with Antonio Lecchi and Francesco Puccinelli. His first assessment in hydraulic engineering concerned the navigable branch of the Tiber and was written at the request of Pope Benedict XIV. He was later asked to give his opinion on similar matters by the cities of Lucca, Rimini, Genoa, Perugia, and Piacenza. The methodological approach he used in expert reports and theoretical papers on hydrodynamics is best exemplified in his report on the damage to the port of Rimini and in his scientific Lettera on the principles of hydrodynamics. Bošković used various methods !izostavljeno: u izradi lučkih ekspertiza!, as he himself wrote in the preface to his report on the port of Rimini: he measured and studied the currents in the port itself and along the coast, interviewed the oldest fishermen and sailors and studied the documents and other written sources relating to the port. His theoretical essay on hydrodynamics shows how well-acquainted he was with the mathematical techniques of his time.

Ključne riječi (eng): Ruđer Bošković; rivers; ports; marshes; educational system; Leonardo Ximenes; Antonio Lecchi; measurement; theoretical explanation; mathematical methods

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