Re: Origin and Explanation of the Laplace Transform

On 17 Feb 2006 09:59:04 -0800, "mensanator@xxxxxxxxxxx"
<mensanator@xxxxxxx> wrote:


Anon wrote:
On 16 Feb 2006 16:10:14 -0800, larryhammick@xxxxxxxxx wrote:


MichaelDMcDonnell@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Can anyone explain to me how the Laplace Transform came about? In other
words, how was this equation arrived at?


<snip>


Related is the story of Heaviside's operational calculus and the more
theoretical work of Bromwich.
http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Heaviside.html


When I was taught Laplace transforms in school, the teacher
told us the story of how engineers were too stupid to solve
their problems until mathematicians invented tricks for them to use.

At the time I thought that was an odd story to tell a class of
engineering students. Much later I found out part of the reason it
was odd was that it was a complete lie. It was the engineer,
Oliver Heaviside, who invented the tricks (operational calculus)
and it was the mathemeticians who were too stupid to accept
them...until they were justified by Laplace's work.

[snip]

Yes, I'm familiar with the history 'bout all that. <G>

I don't know if you're familiar with this book, but JIC you're not,
I'll mention it in case it might be of interest:

"Oliver Heaviside : The Life, Work, and Times of an Electrical Genius
of the Victorian Age", by Paul J. Nahin, ISBN: 0801869099.

.

Relevant Pages