An Annotated Translation of D. Bernoulli's "A New Theory on the Motion of Waters Through Channels of Any Kind"

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Bistafa, Sylvio R.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Bistafa, Sylvio R.
author_facet Bistafa, Sylvio R.
contents This paper presents an annotated English translation of Daniel Bernoulli's 1727 work A New Theory on the Motion of Waters through Channels of Any Kind, originally published in the Commentarii Academiae Scientiarum Imperialis Petropolitanae. Written over a decade before his renowned Hydrodynamica (1738), this early treatise reveals D. Bernoulli's foundational approach to fluid motion based on the conservation of vis viva-the kinetic energy of moving bodies-at a time when the principle was still under active debate. In this work, D. Bernoulli applies mechanical reasoning to fluids flowing through channels of arbitrary shape, deriving relationships between velocity, cross-sectional area, and efflux under ideal conditions. He anticipates core results of Hydrodynamica, including the inverse relationship between flow velocity and cross-sectional area, and emphasizes the role of energy balance in analyzing steady flow. The text also includes reflections on experimental limitations, the influence of friction, and the boundaries of theoretical applicability. This translation highlights the historical and conceptual significance of the 1727 paper as a precursor to D. Bernoulli's mature hydrodynamic theory.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_14905
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle An Annotated Translation of D. Bernoulli's "A New Theory on the Motion of Waters Through Channels of Any Kind"
Bistafa, Sylvio R.
History and Philosophy of Physics
This paper presents an annotated English translation of Daniel Bernoulli's 1727 work A New Theory on the Motion of Waters through Channels of Any Kind, originally published in the Commentarii Academiae Scientiarum Imperialis Petropolitanae. Written over a decade before his renowned Hydrodynamica (1738), this early treatise reveals D. Bernoulli's foundational approach to fluid motion based on the conservation of vis viva-the kinetic energy of moving bodies-at a time when the principle was still under active debate. In this work, D. Bernoulli applies mechanical reasoning to fluids flowing through channels of arbitrary shape, deriving relationships between velocity, cross-sectional area, and efflux under ideal conditions. He anticipates core results of Hydrodynamica, including the inverse relationship between flow velocity and cross-sectional area, and emphasizes the role of energy balance in analyzing steady flow. The text also includes reflections on experimental limitations, the influence of friction, and the boundaries of theoretical applicability. This translation highlights the historical and conceptual significance of the 1727 paper as a precursor to D. Bernoulli's mature hydrodynamic theory.
title An Annotated Translation of D. Bernoulli's "A New Theory on the Motion of Waters Through Channels of Any Kind"
topic History and Philosophy of Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.14905