从派勒格林尼的小磁球到吉尔伯特的微地球

From Peregrinus' s Spherical loadstone to Gilbert's Terrella

吉尔伯特将小磁球类比于地球,称其为微地球。微地球被认为是吉尔伯特最重要的贡献。比吉尔伯特早3个多世纪,派勒格林尼将小磁球类比于天球。文章深入探讨了派勒格林尼小磁球的意义,指出其中已经蕴含了用自然力解释天球周日旋转的思想。文章分析了吉尔伯特微地球思想的主要来源,并讨论了吉尔伯特如何解释地球周日旋转动力的问题。

William Gilbert made an analogy between spherical loadstone and the earth, calling the former terrella. Terrella is the most important con tribution of Gilbert. Three centuries before Gilbert, Peregrinus had considered spherical loadstone bearing in itself the likeness of the heavens. This paper discusses about the significance of Peregrinus＇s spherical loadstone, and points out that it had already contained an idea of explaining of the diurnal motion of the heavens by natural force. This paper then analyses the main sources of Gilbert＇ s terrella, and discusses Gilbert＇ s explanation of the force of earth＇s diurnal motion.