| RefNo | MS/81/20 |
| Previous numbers | MS 81.17 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Copy letter, from [Henry] Oldenburg to [René-Francois] Slusius |
| Date | 29 January 1673 |
| Description | Copy of a letter, titled "An Answer to Monsr Slusius his letter of Januar. 17 1672/73" in Oldenburg's hand, likely a clean draft.
Dated and attributed at the end and with address at the top in another hand. Endorsed 'No. 27: p. 106'
Discusses Sluse's method for drawing the tangents to curves which Oldenburg received in a previous letter. Will present the method at the next meeting of the Royal Society and then expects to include it shortly after in print in the Philosophical Transactions. Includes [Isaac] Newton's latest work on the same topic, taken from a letter to John Collins, so that Sluse can compare it to his own method. The quoted passage from Newton's calculus is the majority of the letter, it was underlined in red in parts and quotations marks were included in the margins to denote the inclusion of the sections in the printed version of the Commercium Epistolium. Oldenburg will share Sluse's method with the President of the Royal Society [Viscount William Brouncker] and with [John] Pell.
The original letter by Sluse was published in the issue for January 1673 of the Philosophical Transaction, volume 7, pp. 5143-5147.
Passages quoting Newton's letter to Collins were printed in 'Commercium Epistolicum' 1722 edition, page 106, paragraph XXVII |
| Language | Latin |
| Extent | 2pp. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink; pencil; paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
| RelatedMaterial | DOI: 10.1098/rstl.1672.0061 |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA8001 | Oldenburg; Henry (c 1619 - 1677); natural philosopher and scientific correspondent | c 1619 - 1677 |
| NA5659 | Slusius; Renatus Franciscus (1622 - 1685); mathematician and clergyman | 1622 - 1685 |