VG (as new, except for abrasion to back cover label). Digital facsimile (in electronic PDF format on CD-ROM disc; this is not a printed book) of the first edition of this exceptionally rare (fewer than 10 copies known) early work by Galileo Galilei, from a copy in the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection at the Library of Congress. Galileo's "geometrical and military compass" (or sector) was a mathematical device -- a sort of calculating ruler based on the principle of proportional magnitudes -- that brought speed and accuracy to computations about armaments and their trajectories. Its employment, however, extended well beyond the battlefield. It was widely used for rapid and complex calculations of proportion, volume, and square or cube roots, well before the advent of logarithmic tables -- and eventually the slide-rule and computer. Galileo's little book, privately printed in an edition of a mere sixty copies, is now extremely rare. This Octavo Edition contains detailed digital images (may be magnified at up to 800% of original size) of every page of the original edition (photographed as if the actual book were open before the viewer) as well as Stillman Drake's authoritative English translation (fully searchable) and a new introduction by science historian Filippo Camerota. This Octavo Edition is in Adobe PDF format on CD-ROM and is compatible with Windows and Macintosh systems. Seller Inventory # 8VGACG03

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Le Operazioni del Compasso Geometrico et ...

Publisher: Padua (Oakland: Octavo) 1606; 2004

Publication Date: 1606

Binding: No Binding

Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition

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Synopsis:

Galileo’s enduring legacy was the establishment of mathematics as the basis for research in the physical sciences. The proving-ground for his methodology was the machine shop in his Padua home. There Galileo perfected the "geometrical and military compass" (or sector), a calculating ruler based on the principle of proportional magnitudes that brought speed and accuracy to computations about armaments and their trajectories. It was also widely used for complex calculations...

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Philip Smith, Bookseller
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Payment in full by Visa/MC, cash, check, or money order. (I have discontinued accepting PayPal after increasing problems with uncompleted transactions.) Books can be held up to 10 days upon request; email is the preferred (and quickest) means of communication. Postage is extra: orders through ABE are charged at their prevailing rates; otherwise, postage cost will be quoted upon request (optional insurance is extra at cost). All items are graded conservatively using consistent standards: generall...

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Le Operazioni del Compasso Geometrico et Militare (Operations of the Geometric and Military Compass; facsimile of 1606 edition on CD-ROM)

Galilei, Galileo (English translation by Stillman Drake; introduction by Filippo Camerota)

Used - No Binding

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