Dictionary of Physics or an Attempt at an Explanation of the Most Important Concepts and Technical Terms of Natural Philosophy

thought and experienced regarding it, and so natural philosophy itself is for the most part history. Furthermore, the alphabetical order offers a special convenience for presenting historical information on every individual subject, which would too often interrupt the connection of propositions in a systematic arrangement, and I could not refrain from utilizing this convenience as much as was possible, and also indicating in most articles the primary writings from which one can draw further instruction.

In the introduction attached to his dictionary, Brisson provided an order in which one should read its articles if one wishes to use it as a complete textbook on natural philosophy. Although I do not deny the possibility of learning a science in this way from a well-compiled dictionary, I would never advise such a method. I do not intend the attempt, the beginning of which I hereby submit to the public, for those who wish to learn the entire field of natural philosophy, but for those who seek detailed, clear, and correct instruction on individual subjects of the same, or, if they have already surveyed the scope of the science, wish to refresh their memory regarding all that pertains to a specific subject therein.