TEXTBOOKS, FOUNDATIONS, HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND SCIENCE EDUCATION
TEXTBOOKS, FOUNDATIONS, HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND SCIENCE EDUCATION

Summary/Abstract: In history of science we have significant examples of textbooks written by professional scholars, researchers during their teachings job. Thus the research (on foundations of science) and pedagogical aspects are presented, but not at all of them in the same way. Many and various factors are included. Without going too much back, one can consider the newborn theories of heat and thermodynamics and related textbooks used at the end of the 19th century: Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier’s (1768–1830) Théorie analytique de la chaleur ) and the positivist Gabriel Lamé’s (1795–1870) Leçons sur la théorie analytique de la chaleur focusing the physical–mathematical relationship in the theory of heat and without considering experimental aspects of the scientific process of knowledge. The physical problem, e.g., between chaleur and calorique and the second principle are avoided. Therefore Reech’s théorie général des effets dynamiques de la chaleur , in which he adopted and generalized Sadi Carnot’s (1796–1832) – and Clapeyron’s (1799–1864) – reasonings in order to obtain a general formula from which each of the two theories (on caloric and on heat) can be derived under the right conditions. An Italian scholar Paolo Ballada (1815–1888) also called Paul de Saint–Robert published (at the time into French language) one of the first textbooks Principes de thermodynamique on the subject that included scientific studies, as well, as historical part and a first biographical notes on Sadi Carnot and others scholars. The second principle is very much emphasized. Just to mention: Zeuner, Verdet, Hirn, Combes, Clausius, Jacquier, Jamin.

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