CHRISTIAAN HUYGENS

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CHRISTIAAN HUYGENS

• a brief biographical sketch by
• Carl J. Wenning

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Christiaan Huygens

• Dutch physicist and astronomer
• Born The Hague, April 14, 1629
• Died The Hague, June 8, 1695

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Most notable accomplishments

• Wrote the first book on probability
• Discovered Titan and features on Mars, and
  resolved rings of Saturn
• Noted non-ischronicity of the pendulum
• Developed clock escapement with regulator

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Other notable accomplishments

• Huygens principle - every point on a primary
  wave front serves as the source of spherical
  secondary wavelets (thereby accounting for
  diffraction)