Architect, astronomer and mathematician — Christopher Wren (East Knoyle, 1632 – London, 1723) was an English architect, astronomer and mathematician, today known chiefly as the greatest English architect of his time. Before turning to architecture he was professor of astronomy in London and at Oxford and worked on mechanics, optics and mathematics. He was among the founders of the Royal Society in 1660 and contributed to the study of the laws of collision between bodies and to geometry. In physics and astronomy he took part, together with Halley and Hooke, in the discussions on the inverse-square law that prompted Newton to write the “Principia”. As an architect, after the Great Fire of London in 1666, he designed the reconstruction of numerous churches, including the famous St Paul’s Cathedral.
Fun fact
His epitaph in St Paul’s Cathedral, which he himself designed, reads: “Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice” — “Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you”.
Theories and contributions
- Laws of collision — Contributed, with Huygens and Wallis, to the formulation of the conservation laws in collisions between elastic bodies.
- Inverse-square law — Took part with Halley and Hooke in the discussions hypothesising a gravitational force .
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Linked atoms
1 linked atoms.