The "Treatise on Light" (original title: "Traité de la Lumière") is a seminal work by the Dutch physicist and mathematician Christiaan Huygens, published in 1678. In this treatise, Huygens explored the nature of light, proposing that it behaves as a wave rather than as a particle, which was a revolutionary idea at the time.
A perfect spline, often referred to in the context of spline interpolation or spline approximation, is a mathematical construct used to create a smooth curve that passes through a given set of points (or control points). In general, "spline" refers to a piecewise polynomial function that is defined on intervals, and a "perfect" spline typically implies that the spline fits the data points exactly without any error.
John Earman is a philosopher of science and a prominent figure known for his work in the philosophy of physics, particularly regarding concepts like time, space, and the foundations of scientific theories. He has contributed significantly to discussions about determinism, causation, and the interpretation of scientific theories, particularly in relation to theories of time, such as the nature of time in relativity and quantum mechanics.
John Rawls (1921–2002) was an influential American philosopher best known for his work in political philosophy and moral theory. His most prominent work, "A Theory of Justice" (1971), presents a framework for thinking about justice and fairness in a structured society. In this book, Rawls introduces several key concepts, including the "Original Position" and the "Veil of Ignorance.
Jonathan Schaffer is a philosopher known for his work in metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of language. He has made significant contributions to discussions on issues such as grounding, causation, and the nature of existence. Schaffer is often associated with the view called "priority monism," which suggests that the cosmos as a whole is the fundamental entity, and that everything else (including individual objects) is dependent on it.
Joseph Raz is a prominent legal and moral philosopher, known for his work in the fields of legal theory, political philosophy, and ethics. Born on July 21, 1939, in Jerusalem, he became an influential figure in the development of theories of law, particularly through his contributions to the concept of legal positivism. Raz is best known for his work on the nature of authority, the relationship between law and morality, and the nature of practical reasoning.
Jules Vuillemin (1920–2019) was a prominent French philosopher and logician, known for his contributions to various fields, including philosophy of language, epistemology, and the philosophy of mathematics. He became well known for his work in formal logic, particularly in the area of modal logic and the foundations of mathematics. Vuillemin's philosophical approach was characterized by a focus on the nature of paradoxes and the implications of formal systems.
Kirk Ludwig is a philosopher known for his work in the fields of philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and social philosophy, particularly concerning topics like collective intentionality, social practices, and joint actions. He often engages with themes related to meaning, reference, and the nature of social reality.
Keith Donnellan is a prominent American philosopher and a key figure in the philosophy of language and philosophical logic. He is best known for his work on reference, descriptions, and the nature of meaning. Donnellan is particularly recognized for introducing the distinction between referential and attributive uses of definite descriptions in his influential paper "Reference and Definite Descriptions," published in 1966. In this paper, Donnellan argued that when a speaker uses a definite description (e.g.
Mark Addis could refer to different subjects or individuals, but without specific context, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly which one you might be asking about. If you are referring to a public figure, author, academic, or a character from literature, could you please provide a bit more context?
M. M. Sharif could refer to a specific individual, possibly an academic, author, or professional in a particular field, but without additional context, it's difficult to provide a precise answer. There are many people with the initials M.M. Sharif, and the significance of the name could vary widely based on the context in which you encountered it. If you have more information or a particular context in mind—such as a field (e.g.
Defunct computer companies are businesses that were once involved in the development, manufacturing, or sale of computer hardware, software, or services but have ceased operations or been dissolved. These companies may have closed due to various reasons, including financial difficulties, mergers and acquisitions, lack of innovation, or changes in market demand.
Martin Cohen is a British philosopher, writer, and educator known for his work on critical thinking, logic, and the philosophy of science. He has focused on the importance of reasoning skills and the application of philosophy to everyday life and societal issues. Cohen is also noted for his accessible writing style, making philosophical concepts approachable for a general audience. In addition to his philosophical work, he is involved in various educational initiatives and has authored several books aimed at promoting clear thinking and analysis among a wide range of readers.
Marilyn McCord Adams (1939–2017) was an American philosopher known primarily for her work in the philosophy of religion, particularly in the areas of theodicy, metaphysics, and the problem of evil. She was a prominent figure in discussions about the existence of God and the compatibility of faith with the presence of suffering and evil in the world. Adams is best known for her arguments regarding the nature of God and the challenges posed by profound evil and human suffering.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact