Science and Civilisation in China, Part 2, Mechanical Engineering

Science and Civilisation in China, Part 2, Mechanical Engineering PDF

Author: Joseph Needham

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1965-01-02

Total Pages: 1022

ISBN-13: 9780521058032

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As Dr Needham's immense undertaking gathers momentum it has been found necessary to subdivide volumes into parts, each to be bound and published separately. The first part of Volume 4, already published, deals with the physical sciences; the second with the diverse applications of physics in the many branches of mechanical engineering; and the third will deal with civil and hydraulic engineering and nautical technology. With this part of Volume 4, then, we come to the application by the Chinese of physical principles in the control of forces and in the use of power; we cross the frontier separating tools from the machine. We have already noticed that the ancient Chinese concept of chhi (somewhat similar to the pneuma of the Greeks) asserted itself prominently in acoustics; but we discover here that the Chinese tendency to think pneumatically was also responsible for a whole range of brilliant technological achievements, for example, the double-acting piston-bellows, the rotary winnowing-fan, and the water-powered metallurgical blowing-machine (ancestor of the steam-engine); as well as for some extraordinary insights and predictions in aeronautics.

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 1, Introductory Orientations

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 1, Introductory Orientations PDF

Author: Joseph Needham

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1956-01-01

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780521057998

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Dr Joseph Needham's account of the Chinese achievement in science and technology will stand as one of the great works of our time. It has been acclaimed by specialists in both East and West and also by readers with wider and more general interests. The text, based on research of a high critical quality, is supported by many hundreds of illustrations and is imbued with a warm appreciation of China. Volume I is an introductory volume, in which Dr Needham prepares his readers for the study of a whole human culture. He begins by examining the structure of the Chinese language; he reviews the geography of China and the long history of its people, and discusses the scientific contacts which have occurred throughout the centuries, between Europe and East Asia.

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 13, Mining

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 13, Mining PDF

Author: Peter J. Golas

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1999-02-25

Total Pages: 564

ISBN-13: 9780521580007

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The fifth volume of the late Dr. Needham's immense undertaking covers the subjects of chemistry and chemical technology. This, the thirteenth part of the volume, is the first history of Chinese mining to appear in a Western language. Spanning from the Neolithic period to the present day, it deals with the full range of Chinese mining from copper to mercury, arsenic to coal. The author explores not only the written sources but also the archaeological remains, and observes the traditional techniques still in use. The interrelationship between Chinese mining and its social, economic and political implications is examined. Through these discoveries, the author concludes that these factors were probably more important in determining how mining was carried out than the technological progress itself.

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 13, Mining

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 13, Mining PDF

Author: Peter J. Golas

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1999-02-25

Total Pages: 564

ISBN-13: 9780521580007

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The fifth volume of the late Dr. Needham's immense undertaking covers the subjects of chemistry and chemical technology. This, the thirteenth part of the volume, is the first history of Chinese mining to appear in a Western language. Spanning from the Neolithic period to the present day, it deals with the full range of Chinese mining from copper to mercury, arsenic to coal. The author explores not only the written sources but also the archaeological remains, and observes the traditional techniques still in use. The interrelationship between Chinese mining and its social, economic and political implications is examined. Through these discoveries, the author concludes that these factors were probably more important in determining how mining was carried out than the technological progress itself.

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 7, The Social Background, Part 1, Language and Logic in Traditional China

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 7, The Social Background, Part 1, Language and Logic in Traditional China PDF

Author: Joseph Needham

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1998-02-19

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13: 9780521571432

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Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 7 Part 1 is the first book in the final volume of this unique resource. The Chinese culture is the only culture in the world that has developed systematic logical definitions and reflections on its own and on the basis of a non-Indo-European language. Christoph Harbsmeier discusses the basic features of the classical Chinese language that made it a suitable medium for science in ancient China, discussing in detail a wide range of abstract concepts that are crucial for the development of scientific discourse. There is special emphasis on the conceptual history of logical terminology in ancient China, and on traditional Chinese views on their own language. Finally the book provides an overview of the development of logical reflection in ancient China, first in terms of the forms of arguments that were deployed in ancient Chinese texts, and then in terms of ancient Chinese theoretical concerns with logical matters.

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 3, Civil Engineering and Nautics

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 3, Civil Engineering and Nautics PDF

Author: Joseph Needham

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1971-04-01

Total Pages: 990

ISBN-13: 9780521070607

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As Dr Needham's immense undertaking gathers momentum it has been found necessary to subdivide volumes into parts, each bound and published separately. The first two parts of Volume IV deal respectively with the physical sciences and with the diverse applications of physics in the many branches of mechanical engineering. The third deals with civil and hydraulic engineering and with nautical technology.

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 2, Mechanical Engineering

Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 2, Mechanical Engineering PDF

Author: Joseph Needham

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1965-01-02

Total Pages: 816

ISBN-13: 9780521058032

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As Dr Needham's immense undertaking gathers momentum it has been found necessary to subdivide volumes into parts, each to be bound and published separately. The first part of Volume 4, already published, deals with the physical sciences; the second with the diverse applications of physics in the many branches of mechanical engineering; and the third will deal with civil and hydraulic engineering and nautical technology. With this part of Volume 4, then, we come to the application by the Chinese of physical principles in the control of forces and in the use of power; we cross the frontier separating tools from the machine. We have already noticed that the ancient Chinese concept of chhi (somewhat similar to the pneuma of the Greeks) asserted itself prominently in acoustics; but we discover here that the Chinese tendency to think pneumatically was also responsible for a whole range of brilliant technological achievements, for example, the double-acting piston-bellows, the rotary winnowing-fan, and the water-powered metallurgical blowing-machine (ancestor of the steam-engine); as well as for some extraordinary insights and predictions in aeronautics.

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