“The principles of the theory are derived, as are those of rational mechanics, from a very small number of primary facts”

—  Joseph Fourier , book The Analytical Theory of Heat

Source: The Analytical Theory of Heat (1878), Ch. 1, p. 6
Context: If we consider further the manifold relations of this mathematical theory to civil uses and the technical arts, we shall recognize completely the extent of its applications. It is evident that it includes an entire series of distinct phenomena, and that the study of it cannot be omitted without losing a notable part of the science of nature.
The principles of the theory are derived, as are those of rational mechanics, from a very small number of primary facts, the causes of which are not considered by geometers, but which they admit as the results of common observations confirmed by all experiment.

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Joseph Fourier 4
French mathematician and physicist 1768–1830

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