Nicolas Fatio de Duillier - Works

Works

Fatio's greatest scientific success was the explanation of the nature of the zodiacal light in 1684, which he attributed to particles reflecting the light of the sun. In 1688 he gave an account on the mechanical explanation of gravitation of Huygens before the Royal Society, whereby he tried to connect Huygens' theory with that of Newton. In 1690 he wrote a letter to Huygens, in which he outlined his own gravitational theory, which later was known as Le Sage's theory of gravitation. Soon after that he read its content before the Royal Society. This theory, on which he worked until his death, is based on minute particles which push gross matter to each other.

However, Fatio is most known by his important role at the Newton v. Leibniz calculus controversy, over who was the inventor of the calculus. He indirectly reproached Leibniz in a letter in 1699, that Leibniz had taken hold of an intellectual property not belonging to him and therefore started the quarrel.

To optimize the capture of solar energy, and thereby plant productivity, Fatio in 1699 suggested using a tracking mechanism which could pivot to follow the Sun. Around 1700 he and Pierre de Baufre tried to use jewels as wheel bearings in mechanical clocks. In 1705 both received a patent for that still common technology.