This is a neat video about the birth of calculus. It deals first with Newton and then with Leibniz, and discusses how, in trying to solve the same problem, both arrived at the same conclusion using different methods and representations*. The thing that really surprised me about this video, however, is the fact that this film appears to use the actual manuscripts, at least for Newton. The Newton book he’s handling is either an original, or a exacting copy (right down to the deterioration) of the Waste Papers book.
*regarding the calculus controversy: Personally, I’m inclined to agree that more than one person could have come up with this idea at the same time. The seed for both was Descartes’ concept of the X-Y plane — after the introduction of that idea, development of calculus was inevitable (which isn’t to say it was easy). The controversy itself was largely the product of lesser minds groping for relevance, fueled by nationalism and personal vanity.
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
