Editing 1740 in science

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The year '''1740 in [[science]]''' and [[technology]] involved some significant events.

==Mathematics==
* [[Jean Paul de Gua de Malves]] publishes his work of [[analytic geometry]], {{sic|''Usages de l'analyse de Descartes pour découvrir, sans le secours du calcul differentiel, les propriétés, ou affections principales des lignes géométriques de tous les ordres''}}.

==Metallurgy==
* [[Benjamin Huntsman]] develops the technique of [[crucible steel]] production at [[Handsworth, South Yorkshire]], [[England]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Samuel|last=Smiles|authorlink=Samuel Smiles|title=Industrial Biography|year=1879|page=99}}</ref>

==Physics==
* [[Jacques-Barthélemy Micheli du Crest]] creates a spirit thermometer, making use of two fixed points, 0 for "Temperature of earth" based on a cave at [[Paris Observatory]] and 100 for the heat of boiling water.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hutton|first=Charles|title=A Philosophical and Mathematical Dictionary: Volume 2|year=1815|publisher=S. Hamilton|location=Weybridge, Surrey|page=509|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lsdJAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>
* [[Émilie du Châtelet]] publishes ''Institutions de Physique'', including a demonstration that the [[kinetic energy|energy of a moving object]] is proportional to the square of its velocity (E<sub>k</sub> = {{frac|1|2}}mv²).
* [[Louis Bertrand Castel]] publishes ''L'Optique des couleurs'' in [[Paris]], including the observation that the colours of white light split by a [[Prism (optics)|prism]] depend on distance from the prism.

==Technology==
* [[Henry Hindley]] of Yorkshire invents a device to cut the teeth of clock wheels.<ref>{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Hywel|title=Cassell's Chronology of World History|url=https://archive.org/details/cassellschronolo0000will|url-access=registration|location=London|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|year=2005|isbn=0-304-35730-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/cassellschronolo0000will/page/308 308]}}</ref>

==Awards==
* [[Copley Medal]]: [[Alexander Stuart (scientist)|Alexander Stuart]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Copley Medal {{!}} British scientific award |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/Copley-Medal |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |accessdate=21 July 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

==Births==
* February 17 – [[Horace Bénédict de Saussure]], [[Republic of Geneva|Genevan]] pioneer of [[Alps|Alpine]] studies (died [[1799 in science|1799]])
* March 28 ''(bapt.)'' – [[James Small (inventor)|James Small]], [[Scottish people|Scottish]] inventor (died [[1793 in science|1793]])
* June 27 – [[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]], [[English people|English]] [[physician]] and [[natural history|naturalist]], "grandfather of Australian [[ornithology]]" (died [[1837 in science|1837]])
* July 1 – [[Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein]], Austrian [[mineralogist]] and discoverer of [[tellurium]] (died [[1825 in science|1825]])
* August 26 – [[Montgolfier brothers|Joseph Michel Montgolfier]], French pioneer balloonist (died [[1810 in science|1810]])
* September 29 – [[Thomas Percival]], English reforming physician and medical ethicist (died [[1804 in science|1804]])
* December 24 – [[Anders Johan Lexell]], Finnish-Swedish [[astronomer]] and [[mathematician]] (died [[1784 in science|1784]])
* ''unknown'' – [[William Smellie (encyclopedist)|William Smellie]], Scottish naturalist and [[encyclopedist]] (died [[1795 in science|1795]])

==Deaths==
* March 23 – [[Olof Rudbeck the Younger]], [[Swedes|Swedish]] naturalist (born [[1660 in science|1660]]).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:1740 in science| ]]
[[Category:18th century in science]]
[[Category:1740s in science]]