{"id":6999,"date":"2017-11-14T16:04:34","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T20:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6999"},"modified":"2017-11-15T14:43:05","modified_gmt":"2017-11-15T18:43:05","slug":"physical-sciences-and-mathematics-one-half-of-advances-in-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6999","title":{"rendered":"Physical Sciences and Mathematics: One Half of Advances in Science!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Advances in Science: Standing on the\u00a0Shoulders of\u00a0Giants<\/em>\u00a0has two focuses: the natural sciences and the physical sciences and mathematics. This post details items\u00a0in the the physical sciences\/mathematics part.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Mathematics<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is commonly accepted that the mathematical sciences\u00a0begin\u00a0with Euclid (323 BCE \u2013 285 BCE). While not much is known about the life of Euclid, we have him to thank for the foundations of our modern mathematics. Known as the \u201cFather of Geometry\u201d, Euclid wrote The Elements<\/em>, the first large-scale treatise to address the issue of Mathematical theorems, and his most famous book. It was instrumental in the development of logic and modern science, and its logical rigor was not surpassed until the 19th century. Below is a 1627\u00a0printing of Elements\u00a0<\/em>and some other mathematics volumes.<\/p>\n

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Euclidis Elementorum Libri XV\u00a0<\/em>[Euclid\u2019s Elements of Mathematics Book 15<\/em>]. Euclid, 1620\u00a0 QA3 .S8708 1627. Special Collections Research Center George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

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Detail from Euclidis Elementorum Libri XV<\/em>
Euclid, 1620.\u00a0 QA3 .S8708 1627. Special Collections Research Center
George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Petri Rami Arithmetices Libri duo et <\/em>Algebrae Totidem, a Lazaro Schonero <\/em>emendati and <\/em>explicati\u00a0[Petrus Ramus\u2019 Two Books on Arithmetic, and the same number on Algebra, having been amended and explicated by Lazarus Schoner<\/em>]. Petrus Ramus, Frankfurt, 1586
QA33 .R26 1586. Special Collections Research Center
George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

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Apollonii Pergaei Lococrum Planorum Libri II<\/em>
[A Collection of Planes, Book II<\/em>].\u00a0Apollonius of Perga, Glasgow, 1749. QA3 .S8707 1749
Special Collections Research Center George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n


\nElectrical Engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n

Electrical engineering\u00a0encompasses the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. Electricity, which has its roots in the study of physics, has been a subject of scientific interest since at least the early 17th century. Electrical engineering became a recognizable occupation in the latter half of the 19th century after commercialization of the electric telegraph, the telephone, and electric power distribution and use. Later, radio and television broadcasting made electronics part of daily life. The invention of the transistor, the integrated circuit, and the microprocessor contributed directly to the rise of computers as well as electronic circuits that could be made small enough to be used in almost any household object.<\/p>\n

The end of World War II ushered in a flowering of scientific achievement in America. One of the many scientific pioneers to emerge during this era was Dr. John Nelson Warfield. Like many of his generation, he was called to serve in the military during World War II. But the war shaped Warfield in a unique manner, putting him on the path to a career in engineering and academia. He did pioneering work on early computers, both as a college professor and as a top-secret military researcher. Below is an accepted patent application for an electronic goniometer, a device used in aerospace and naval navigation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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U.S. Patent Application for an Electronic Goniometer
June 12, 1967. John N. Warfield Collection #C0016.
Special Collections Research Center George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Civil Engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n

Civil engineering is the application of physical and scientific principles to create roads, bridges, dams, buildings and other types of structures. The discipline is linked to advances in the understanding of\u00a0physics\u00a0and\u00a0mathematics throughout history.<\/p>\n

William Lee Mertz (1920-1993) started his career as a highway engineer with the Bureau of Public Roads. As a field engineer, Mertz worked on several significant transportation projects. He took part in the 1955 Road Test in Ottawa, Illinois, where the basic pavement designs for the Interstate Highway System were developed.\u00a0 Mertz moved to the Bureau of Standards to develop standards for computer software for use in highway engineering applications. He later served as an administrator in the planning of the Interstate Highway System, including the Washington Beltway, I-95 in Maryland, and the Washington Metrorail System. In 1969 Mertz returned to the Federal Highway Administration as Chief of the Urban Planning Division, where he developed transportation planning studies in all 213 metropolitan areas of the nation. Below is a report from a highway engineering test that Mertz participated in early in his career.<\/p>\n

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The Western Association of Highway Officials (WASHO) Road Test Report, 1955.\u00a0 William L. Mertz Transportaiton\u00a0Collection #C0050.. Special Collections Research Center George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

Early Computers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Computers are machines that can be\u00a0instructed\u00a0to do many complex mathematical or logic operations in a short amount of time. Computing devices were critical in military applications, beginning with World War II. While the early computers were slow mechanical devices, developments in the electrical engineering field helped computer technology advance by leaps and bounds during the second half of the twentieth century. \u00a0\u00a0While the military continued to refine and improve computers, large university engineering departments began to develop computers, as well.<\/p>\n

One such University was Pennsylvania State University.\u00a0 During the early 1950s very few universities had done significant research or development in the construction of computers. In 1953 Penn State began work on its first digital computer PENNSTAC (Penn State Automatic Computer). John N. Warfield, a Penn State Electrical Engineering faculty member, was one of the early driving forces behind the development and creation of PENNSTAC. PENNSTAC was completed by 1956, and aided the university in a number of ways. One project worked with Pennsylvania farmers to determine crop yields. It was in service for much of the 1960s, and was finally retired in 1968.<\/p>\n

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Dr. John N. Warfield with the PENNSTAC Computer, March 1973.
John N. Warfield Collection #C0016. Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dr. Eugenie V. Mielczarek: George Mason University Physics Pioneer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Eugenie V. Mielczarek was the founding professor of the George Mason University Physics Department.\u00a0 After receiving a Bachelor\u2019s Degree in Physics from Queens College NY, she studied solid state metals at the National Bureau of Standards.\u00a0 She earned a Doctor of Physics degree from Catholic University in 1963\u00a0and joined George Mason in 1964, where she taught for 35 years before retiring.\u00a0 Her main area of research was in solid state and biological physics.\u00a0 She was the co-author of the book Iron, Nature\u2019s Universal Element<\/em>.\u00a0 A well-respected and serious faculty member, Dr. Mielczarek chaired and served on numerous university committees and was active in scientific professional organizations.\u00a0 Below are items from the Eugenie V.Mielczarek Collection.<\/p>\n

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Physics Research Notes, Dr. Eugenie V. Mielczarek, Eugenie V. Mielczarek Papers #C0059 . Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Science Futures for Girls<\/em> [pamphlet] Please click title to view item<\/a><\/p>\n

Science Futures for Girls.<\/em> U.S. Department of Labor, 1959.
\nEugenie V. Mielczarek Papers #C0059 . Special Collections Research Center,
\nGeorge Mason University Libraries<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Astrophysics and Astronomy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was one of the fathers of modern astronomy with his observations of the Moon, phases of Venus, moons around Jupiter, sunspots, and that the Milky Way Galaxy is made up of a countless amount of stars. In 1609 he built an improved version of an early telescope and became the first person to record observations of space. Galileo initially studied the moon. At that time, most scientists believed that the Moon was a smooth sphere, but Galileo discovered that the Moon has mountains, pits, and other features, just like the Earth. He created drawings of the moon based on his observations. The telescope also helped Galileo confirm that the planets Mercury and Venus pass through phases just like the Moon.\u00a0 The only way they could do this would be if they circled the Sun, and not the Earth as most scientists and religious scholars believed.<\/p>\n

Nearly 350 years later, humans were still interested in exploring the moon. United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, establishing NASA on July 29, 1958. Though adopted as a necessity – initially its adoption was a response to the Soviet Union’s successful satellite launch in 1957 – the agency became a prominent vehicle for scientific discovery.\u00a0 NASA’s signature program, the Apollo missions (1961-1972) set major milestones in space exploration. Twelve men were landed on the moon during this period. The program spurred advances in many areas of technology pertaining to rocketry and manned spaceflight, including avionics, telecommunications, and computers.<\/p>\n

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Handbook to the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus.<\/em>
South Kensington Museum, London, 1876. Q185 .V54 1876a
Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

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EVA Suit\/Glove Development <\/em>[videotape], National Aeronautics and Space Administration 1986. Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

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EVA Suit\/Glove Development <\/em>[still from the videotape], National Aeronautics and Space Administration 1986. Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.<\/p><\/div>\n

Please click on the image to view a short segment from the film.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Advances in Science: Standing on the\u00a0Shoulders of\u00a0Giants\u00a0has two focuses: the natural sciences and the physical sciences and mathematics. This post details items\u00a0in the the physical sciences\/mathematics part.   Mathematics It is commonly accepted that the mathematical sciences\u00a0begin\u00a0with Euclid (323 BCE \u2013 285 BCE). While not much is known about the life of Euclid, we have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exhibits"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-1OT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6959,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6959","url_meta":{"origin":6999,"position":0},"title":"New Exhibit: Advances in Science, 1586-1999","author":"admin","date":"October 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bioscience. Space Exploration. Engineering. Information Technology. These are but a few of the rapidly advancing fields of science which affect our modern lives. Achievements in these disciplines have built, and continue to build upon discoveries made by preceding generations of scientists. As Sir Isaac Newton famously wrote, \u201cIf I have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/aldrinonMoon.jpg?fit=931%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/aldrinonMoon.jpg?fit=931%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/aldrinonMoon.jpg?fit=931%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/aldrinonMoon.jpg?fit=931%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7181,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7181","url_meta":{"origin":6999,"position":1},"title":"Last Chance to See: Advances in Science, 1586-1999","author":"admin","date":"January 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours. \u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/science_book_shelfie-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/science_book_shelfie-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/science_book_shelfie-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/science_book_shelfie-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/science_book_shelfie-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7091,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7091","url_meta":{"origin":6999,"position":2},"title":"The Natural Sciences: The Second Half of Advances in Science!","author":"admin","date":"December 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Michael Rynearson, Research Services Assistant. Natural Science is the research and study of organisms in their environment, including animals, plants, and fungi. Historically, natural science was comprised with what we now call biology and geology. Natural scientists learned about the world around them through observation,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/20171204_114609.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/20171204_114609.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/20171204_114609.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/20171204_114609.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/20171204_114609.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":714,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=714","url_meta":{"origin":6999,"position":3},"title":"Online Collection Explores Complexity","author":"Bob Vay","date":"November 13, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Select items from the John N. Warfield Collection in SC&A have been digitized, and these items now form the John N. Warfield Digital Collection. Warfield began his intellectual career studying electrical engineering and mathematics. This led him to work with early computer prototypes. Besides math and electrical engineering, Warfield became\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"warfield_problematique","src":"https:\/\/specialcollections.files.wordpress.com\/2008\/11\/warfield_problematique.gif?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9358,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9358","url_meta":{"origin":6999,"position":4},"title":"NEH Grant for the Buchanan Papers update\u00a0","author":"Lynn Eaton","date":"October 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This past spring, the\u202fGeorge Mason University Libraries\u202freceived a grant in the amount of $334,720 from the National Endowment of the Humanities\u2019 Humanities Collection and Reference Resources program for the \u201cPreserving the Legacy of James M. Buchanan\u201d project.\u00a0\u00a0 The purpose of this processing grant project is to preserve and make accessible\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BuchananGustaf-copy-1.png?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BuchananGustaf-copy-1.png?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BuchananGustaf-copy-1.png?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BuchananGustaf-copy-1.png?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BuchananGustaf-copy-1.png?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4041,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=4041","url_meta":{"origin":6999,"position":5},"title":"SC&A Exhibit: The Life and Work of Dr. John N. Warfield","author":"admin","date":"February 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr. John Nelson Warfield (1925 \u2013 2009) was a faculty member at George Mason University from 1984 until his retirement in 2000. Beginning as Director of Mason\u2019s Institute for Information Technology, he ended his tenure as Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Integrative Sciences (IASIS), a part\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/warfield_blog_image.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6999"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7095,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6999\/revisions\/7095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}