Editing 1640 in science

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{{Science year nav|1640}}

The year '''1640 in [[science]]''' and [[technology]] involved some significant events.

==Botany==
* [[John Parkinson (botanist)|John Parkinson]] publishes ''Theatrum Botanicum:The Theater of Plants, or, An Herbal of a Large Extent''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Linh|last=Tran|title=Theatrum Botanicum: The Theater of Plants, or, An Herbal of a Large Extent|url=http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cushing/Parkin1.htm|publisher=[[Texas A&M University]] Bioinformatics Working Group|accessdate=2011-04-01| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20081105001300/http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cushing/Parkin1.htm| archivedate=November 5, 2008<!--Added by DASHBot-->}}</ref>

==Mathematics==
* The 16-year-old [[Blaise Pascal]] demonstrates the properties of the ''[[hexagrammum mysticum]]'' in his ''Essai pour les coniques'' which he sends to [[Marin Mersenne|Mersenne]].
* October 18 – [[Fermat]] states his "[[Fermat's little theorem|little theorem]]" in a letter to [[Bernard Frénicle de Bessy|Frénicle de Bessy]]: if ''p'' is a [[prime number]], then for any [[integer]] ''a'', ''a''<sup>&nbsp;''p''</sup>&nbsp;−&nbsp;''a'' will be divisible by ''p''.
* December 25 – Fermat claims a proof of the [[Fermat's theorem on sums of two squares|theorem on sums of two squares]] in a letter to Mersenne ("Fermat's Christmas Theorem"): an [[Even and odd numbers|odd]] [[prime number|prime]] ''p'' is expressible as the sum of two squares.

==Technology==
* The [[Micrometer (device)|micrometer]] is developed.
* A form of [[bayonet]] is invented; in later years it will gradually replace the [[pike (weapon)|pike]].
* The [[reticle telescope]] is developed and initiates the birth of [[sharpshooting]].

==Births==
* April 1 – [[Georg Mohr]], [[Danish people|Danish]] [[mathematician]] (died [[1697 in science|1697]])
* December 13 (''bapt.'') – [[Robert Plot]], [[English people|English]] [[naturalist]] and [[chemist]] and illustrator of the first [[dinosaur]] [[fossil]] (died [[1696 in science|1696]])
* [[Elias Tillandz]], Swedish physician and botanist in Finland (died [[1693 in science|1693]])

==Deaths==
* December 22 – [[Jean de Beaugrand]], [[French people|French]] mathematician (born c. 1584)

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1640 in science| ]]
[[Category:17th century in science]]
[[Category:1640s in science]]