Research On The Mathematical Instruments Of The Qing Court

The mathematical instruments collected in the Palace Museum were mostly made in the 17 th century and can be classified into two categories,measuring and calculating instruments.Some of these instruments were tribute to Emperor Kang Xi from western ambassador corps and missionaries while others were imitated,reformed or developed by the workshops of Qing Court.In this paper a systematical research of the import and production of the western mathematical instruments in the Qing Court was performed based on those instruments as well as domestic and foreign literatures.The main work of this thesis is summarized as follows:1.The history and inherit of Chinese calculating instruments were reviewed based on the current literature.The import and folk influence of some western mathematical instruments were also summarized,including Napier's Bones,Proportional Compass,Slide Rule,and Pascaline.2.According to some domestic and foreign records,the attitude of Emperor Kang Xi to these western mathematical instruments were discussed and both the usage and production of the mathematical instruments in the Qing Count were clarified.The western mathematical instruments in the Palace Museum were categorized and introduced,including the producing principle of the mathematical instruments from missionary.3.The "Localization" of mathematical instruments by the workshops of Qing Court were technically analyzed with both the classification and introduction of the mathematical instruments made by the Qing Court.The historic role and influence of the mathematical instruments,which were produced with the help of European missionary,were discussed as well as the technology and culture communication between China and the West.Some conclusions were proposed as follows:1.The collections in the Palace Museum are mostly produced around the 17 th century,indicating that the introduction and production of mathematical instruments by the Qing Court occurred in the reign of Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty.This is directly related to the personal interests of the Emperor Kang Xi and the mathematical and scientific research activities presided over by him,it is also closely related to the rivalry of the French Jesuits and the Portuguese Jesuits.2.Attention on the Slide Rule was not as much as that on neither Napier's Bones nor Proportional Compass,which resulted in a very few records about the Slid Rule.A collection in the Palace Museum called Gilt-copper comprehensive slide ruler epitomized the characteristics of Gunter's scale and Plotting Scale,which is suggested to be imported from foreign country.This has provided an evidence of the import of Gunter's scale in China.3.The analyses of the principle and structure of hand-cranked calculators collected in the Palace Museum indicated that the hand calculator with discs was made by the workshops of Qing Court according to pascaline while the hand calculator with counting rods was crafted based on Arithmetical Cylinder(i.e.,Grillet's calculator).Both of these two instruments might be produced at the same period.As the only evidence of the importing of new mathematical instruments from Europe to China,these mathematical instruments are extremely valuable with high research significance.4.The hand-cranked calculators made by the Qing Court have the equivalent and stronger capability compared to the original mathematical instruments in Europe at the same time.However,the hand-cranked calculators did not popularize in the folk,mainly due to poor feasibility,high cost,structural complex,and royal restrictions.