BIB_ID
299807
Accession number
MA 3874.5
Creator
König, Samuel, 1712-1757.
Display Date
1749 Oct. 8.
Credit line
Gift of Mr. H. P. Kraus, 1979.
Description
1 item (3 p.) ; 23.3 cm
Notes
Part of a collection 19 letters related to the least action controversy. Items in the collection are described in individual records; see collection-level record for MA 3874 for more information.
Schumann notes that this letter "demonstrated unquestionably that the Koenig paper was not the result of a quarrel between the two, as is often stated, but i t had bee submitted to the periodical at a time when they were on the best possible relations, and it is obvious from the context of the letter that Koenig had no idea that Maupertuis would find anything objectionable about it."
Signed "S. Koenig."
Schumann notes that this letter "demonstrated unquestionably that the Koenig paper was not the result of a quarrel between the two, as is often stated, but i t had bee submitted to the periodical at a time when they were on the best possible relations, and it is obvious from the context of the letter that Koenig had no idea that Maupertuis would find anything objectionable about it."
Signed "S. Koenig."
Provenance
Gift of Mr. H. P. Kraus, 1979.
Summary
Thanking him for sponsoring Koenig's election to the Berlin Academy. Apologizing for not having written sooner and expressing his friendship for Maupertuis. With a postscript introducing the principle of least action, noting "the paper which you [wrote] on the minimum of action moved me to put down on paper some reflections which I have sent to Leipzig," and hoping Maupertuis would like his reflections.
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