The year 1796 in
science and
technology involved some significant events.
Astronomy
Pierre-Simon Laplace publishes Exposition du système du monde, his work on astronomy (mainly celestial mechanics) following
Newton and
Lagrange. He develops an analytical theory of tides, deduces the mass of the Moon, improves the calculation of cosmic orbits, and predicts that Saturn's rings will be found to rotate. Most notably, he propounds the modern
nebular hypothesis, independently outlined by
Kant.
Chemistry
Rev.
James Parker is granted a patent in
Britain for
Roman cement ("A certain Cement or Terras to be used in Aquatic and other Buildings and Stucco Work").
July 10 – He discovers that every positive integer is representable as a sum of at most three
triangular numbers, noting in his diary "
Heureka! num = Δ + Δ + Δ."
April 4 –
Georges Cuvier reads his paper Mémoires sur les espèces d'éléphants vivants et fossiles at the opening of the Institut National in
Paris, demonstrating that species had become
extinct.
August 9 – Opening to traffic of the
Wearmouth Bridge in
England, designed by
Thomas Paine in cast iron. The second in this material built after that at
Ironbridge, but over twice as long, its span of 237 feet (72 m) makes it the world's longest single-span vehicular bridge extant at this date.[9][10][11]
^Dunnington, G. Waldo (2004). Carl Friedrich Gauss: Titan of Science (new ed.). Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America.
ISBN978-0-88385-538-6.
OCLC53933110.
^Graham, Patrick (2001). Phrenology: revealing the mysteries of the mind (videorecording (DVD)). Richmond Hill, Ont.: American Home Treasures.
ISBN0-7792-5135-0.