Johann Baptiste Horvath
Encyclopedia
Johann Baptiste Horvath ' onMouseout='HidePop("86841")' href="/topics/Koszeg">Kőszeg
– 20 October 1799 in Buda
) was a Hungarian-born Jesuit Professor of Physics
and Philosophy at the University of Trnava
(Nagyszombat) in modern-day Slovakia
, which was then part of the Kingdom of Hungary
. Also known as Keresztély János Horváth, he is most noted for his authorship of various textbooks.
), became a university professor, and subsequently authored the well-known Latin
textbooks Physica Generalis (1767/1782, 496pp) and Physica Particularis (1770/1782, 472pp). Various other works are attributed to Horvath, including Elementa Physicae (1790/1807/1819, 656pp) which is a condensed revision of Physica Generalis and Physica Particularis, Institutiones Logicae (1767/1813, 118pp), Elementa/Institutiones Matheseos (1772/1782, 456pp), Institutiones Metaphysicae (1767/1817, 362pp) and Declaratio Infirmitatis Fundamentorum (1797, 188pp) which is a philosophical text regarding speculations on the nature of God posited by Immanuel Kant
. This collection of works, including metaphysics
/logic
and physics, was typical of Jesuit academics teaching under the Ratio Studiorum
(1599). The books were published in Trnava
(Slovakia), Augsburg
(Germany), Eger
and Buda
(Hungary), Velencze (Romania), Madrid
(Spain), Vienna
(Austria) and Venice
and Turin
(Italy), including multiple editions and/or printings of each volume.
Physica Generalis deals primarily with classical mechanics
and celestial mechanics
, for example including a Copernican (heliocentric) diagram of the solar system, missing Uranus
and Neptune
, and a diagram of a highly-elliptical comet
. Physica Particularis includes treatments of fluid mechanics
, heat transfer
and optics
, and several chapters deal scientifically with the nascent field of electricity, where Horvath is thought to be the first East European author to present electricity and magnetism
in the same chapter. The coverage is eclectic, including topics like the aurora borealis, combustion
, sound, rainbows, botany
and lightning
. The work is also notable for its reliance on experimental physics
, since this branch of physics was still emerging as a reputable field, especially among Jesuit academics. For example, Horvath cites experiments on electricity by Benjamin Franklin
(1754). In addition to his physics textbooks, Horvath published the mathematics
textbook Institutiones Matheseos, including sections covering arithmetic
, algebra
, geometry
, trigonometry
and conic sections.
He was among the most important Eastern European physics textbook authors in the 18th century (see also Andreas Jaszlinszky
as well as Leopold Biwald
and Joseph Redlhamer
), and an innovative proponent of Newtonian mechanics, which in hindsight was the correct theory rather than the Cartesian mechanics popular among some Continental
philosophers. By promoting the methods of Copernicus and Newton
, influenced by the approach of Borgondio and Boscovich, Horvath represents a (correct) departure from "accepted" thinking in that region of Europe, and his works were widely distributed. He continued to publish and instruct students from a secular professorship after the Jesuit order was suppressed in 1773, and during his tenure the university faculty moved to modern-day Hungary
(1777) to become the renowned University of Budapest
.
Full-text scanned versions of Physica Particularis (1782/1775/1770/1817), missing some pages and illustrated plates, are available online. Similarly, scanned copies of Physica Generalis (1780/1775/1772) are available online. Images of the textbook title pages are also available. Each of these textbooks is worth approximately $150 depending on condition.
. The antiquated nomenclature includes [c = velocity] and [v = force] with [t = period] being normalized by 2π.
Koszeg
----Kőszeg is a town in Vas county, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character.- History :The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas go back to the third quarter of the 13th century...
– 20 October 1799 in Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
) was a Hungarian-born Jesuit Professor of Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and Philosophy at the University of Trnava
University of Trnava
The University of Trnava is a college of "university type" based in Trnava, Slovakia.-Historical university:The original Jesuit university was founded in 1635 by the Archbishop of Esztergom, Peter Pázmány. It had a faculty of arts, faculty of theology, faculty of law and faculty of medicine...
(Nagyszombat) in modern-day Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, which was then part of the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
. Also known as Keresztély János Horváth, he is most noted for his authorship of various textbooks.
Biography
Horvath entered the Jesuit order at 19 years of age (17 October 1751 in TrencinTrencín
Trenčín is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 56,000, which makes it the ninth largest municipality of the country and is the seat of the Trenčín Region and the Trenčín District...
), became a university professor, and subsequently authored the well-known Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
textbooks Physica Generalis (1767/1782, 496pp) and Physica Particularis (1770/1782, 472pp). Various other works are attributed to Horvath, including Elementa Physicae (1790/1807/1819, 656pp) which is a condensed revision of Physica Generalis and Physica Particularis, Institutiones Logicae (1767/1813, 118pp), Elementa/Institutiones Matheseos (1772/1782, 456pp), Institutiones Metaphysicae (1767/1817, 362pp) and Declaratio Infirmitatis Fundamentorum (1797, 188pp) which is a philosophical text regarding speculations on the nature of God posited by Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
. This collection of works, including metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
/logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
and physics, was typical of Jesuit academics teaching under the Ratio Studiorum
Ratio Studiorum
The Ratio Studiorum often designates the document that formally established the globally influential system of Jesuit education in 1599...
(1599). The books were published in Trnava
Trnava
Trnava is a city in western Slovakia, 47 km to the north-east of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a kraj and of an okres . It was the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishopric . The city has a historic center...
(Slovakia), Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
(Germany), Eger
Eger
Eger is the second largest city in Northern Hungary, the county seat of Heves, east of the Mátra Mountains. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings , and red and white wines.- Name :...
and Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
(Hungary), Velencze (Romania), Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(Spain), Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(Austria) and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
(Italy), including multiple editions and/or printings of each volume.
Physica Generalis deals primarily with classical mechanics
Classical mechanics
In physics, classical mechanics is one of the two major sub-fields of mechanics, which is concerned with the set of physical laws describing the motion of bodies under the action of a system of forces...
and celestial mechanics
Celestial mechanics
Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of celestial objects. The field applies principles of physics, historically classical mechanics, to astronomical objects such as stars and planets to produce ephemeris data. Orbital mechanics is a subfield which focuses on...
, for example including a Copernican (heliocentric) diagram of the solar system, missing Uranus
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...
and Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
, and a diagram of a highly-elliptical comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
. Physica Particularis includes treatments of fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the study of fluids and the forces on them. Fluid mechanics can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; fluid kinematics, the study of fluids in motion; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion...
, heat transfer
Heat transfer
Heat transfer is a discipline of thermal engineering that concerns the exchange of thermal energy from one physical system to another. Heat transfer is classified into various mechanisms, such as heat conduction, convection, thermal radiation, and phase-change transfer...
and optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
, and several chapters deal scientifically with the nascent field of electricity, where Horvath is thought to be the first East European author to present electricity and magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
in the same chapter. The coverage is eclectic, including topics like the aurora borealis, combustion
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
, sound, rainbows, botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
. The work is also notable for its reliance on experimental physics
Experimental physics
Within the field of physics, experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines concerned with the observation of physical phenomena in order to gather data about the universe...
, since this branch of physics was still emerging as a reputable field, especially among Jesuit academics. For example, Horvath cites experiments on electricity by Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
(1754). In addition to his physics textbooks, Horvath published the mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
textbook Institutiones Matheseos, including sections covering arithmetic
Arithmetic
Arithmetic or arithmetics is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations. It involves the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers...
, algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
, geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, trigonometry
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
and conic sections.
He was among the most important Eastern European physics textbook authors in the 18th century (see also Andreas Jaszlinszky
Andreas Jaszlinszky
Andreas Jaszlinszky was the Slovakian-born author of the early physics textbooks Institutiones physicae pars prima, seu physica generalis and Institutiones physicae pars altera, seu physica particularis .- Biography :Jaszlinszky...
as well as Leopold Biwald
Leopold Biwald
Leopold Gottlieb Biwald was a professor at the University of Graz.At the age of sixteen Biwald joined the Jesuits. He became teacher of rhetoric at a secondary school in Laibach and graduated as Dr. theol. in 1761. He became professor of logic and soon afterwards of physics at the University of Graz...
and Joseph Redlhamer
Joseph Redlhamer
Joseph Redlhamer was a professor at the University of Vienna.He joined the Jesuits at age 18 and earned a doctorate in philosophy and theology, after which he taught ethics, philosophy and theology in Linz, Graz and Vienna...
), and an innovative proponent of Newtonian mechanics, which in hindsight was the correct theory rather than the Cartesian mechanics popular among some Continental
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
philosophers. By promoting the methods of Copernicus and Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
, influenced by the approach of Borgondio and Boscovich, Horvath represents a (correct) departure from "accepted" thinking in that region of Europe, and his works were widely distributed. He continued to publish and instruct students from a secular professorship after the Jesuit order was suppressed in 1773, and during his tenure the university faculty moved to modern-day Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(1777) to become the renowned University of Budapest
University of Budapest
The Eötvös Loránd University or ELTE, founded in 1635, is the largest university in Hungary, located in Budapest.-History:The university was founded in 1635 in Nagyszombat by the archbishop and theologian Péter Pázmány. Leadership was given over to the Jesuits...
.
Full-text scanned versions of Physica Particularis (1782/1775/1770/1817), missing some pages and illustrated plates, are available online. Similarly, scanned copies of Physica Generalis (1780/1775/1772) are available online. Images of the textbook title pages are also available. Each of these textbooks is worth approximately $150 depending on condition.
Plates (7) from Physica Generalis (1776)
Plates (8) from Physica Particularis (1770)
See also
- Andreas JaszlinszkyAndreas JaszlinszkyAndreas Jaszlinszky was the Slovakian-born author of the early physics textbooks Institutiones physicae pars prima, seu physica generalis and Institutiones physicae pars altera, seu physica particularis .- Biography :Jaszlinszky...
- Edmond PourchotEdmond PourchotEdmond Pourchot was a university professor noted for his controversial advocacy of Cartesianism in place of Aristotelianism...
- Pierre LemonnierPierre LemonnierPierre Lemonnier was a French astronomer, a Professor of Physics and Philosophy at the Collège d'Harcourt , and a member of the French Academy of Sciences....
- Philip of the Blessed TrinityPhilip of the Blessed TrinityPhilip of the Blessed Trinity was a French Discalced Carmelite theologian and missionary.-Life:He took the habit at Lyon where he made his profession on 8 September 1621...
- Charles MortonCharles Morton (physicist)Charles Morton was the author of the English language Compendium Physicae , an early American textbook on astronomy and physics...
Appendix
An example of near-contemporary notes regarding one of these textbooks is given below, where the reader is attempting to derive Prop 280 from Physica Generalis, involving the force on a body in a circular orbitCircular orbit
A circular orbit is the orbit at a fixed distance around any point by an object rotating around a fixed axis.Below we consider a circular orbit in astrodynamics or celestial mechanics under standard assumptions...
. The antiquated nomenclature includes [c = velocity] and [v = force] with [t = period] being normalized by 2π.