The mathematization of physics became something intrinsic to this branch of natural philosophy throughout the 18th century, after its great influence in Newtonian mechanics. The mathematization of electrostatics is commonly associated with Charles-Augustin Coulomb, who uses the Newtonian notion of action at a distance. However, attempts to mathematize electrical theories occurred before Coulomb, using conceptual approaches other than action at a distance. One example is the work Recherches sur la Cause Physique de l’Electricité by Johann Albrecht Euler. In it, Johann Euler builds – using concepts common to hydrodynamics and calculus – equations that relate the density and the velocity of the ether moving within the pores of a body, thereby explaining electrostatic phenomena such as attraction and repulsion. The debate on what would be the best way to understand physical interactions (whether by forces at a distance or by the existence of ether) goes into the 19th century and influences the development of electromagnetism and relativity. In this article, we bring a historical study centered on Johann Euler’s work embraced by the scientific context of the period. In addition, we present a commented translation to Portuguese of the work Recherches sur la Cause Physique de l’Electricité, published in 1759.
Keywords
History of physics; Mathematization; Electrical studies in the 18th century
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