Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis Jacques Mandé" / Volume 7, Slice 8

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

38709

Title

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis Jacques Mandé" / Volume 7, Slice 8

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This volume of the Eleventh Edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica offers a comprehensive reference collection covering diverse topics from geometry and botany to history and law. Entries range from mathematical concepts like the cube and cubic equations to botanical descriptions of cypresses and cubebs, historical figures such as Saint Cyprian and Louis Daguerre, and geographical regions like Daghestan. Written with an authoritative yet accessible tone, it serves as a vital resource for general knowledge across arts, sciences, literature, and geography.

Summary up to 500 words

Volume VII, Slice 8 of the Eleventh Edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica offers a comprehensive survey of human knowledge spanning mathematics, natural history, law, biography, and geography. The volume opens with an entry on the 'cube,' exploring its geometric definition as a solid bounded by six equal squares. Historically significant in Greek cosmology, where Plato assigned this shape to the element earth due to its stability, the cube is also central to famous mathematical challenges like doubling the cube, or the Delian problem. The text details ancient attempts to solve this using mechanical curves and conic sections, noting that a purely geometric solution was deemed impossible by Plato's standards. Transitioning to natural history, the volume describes 'Cubebs,' a spice derived from the Piperaceae family native to Southeast Asia. It outlines the plant's physical characteristics, its cultivation in Java and Sumatra, and its medicinal properties, particularly its use as an antiseptic for urinary tract infections and asthma. The entry on 'Cypress' follows, detailing this evergreen conifer's global distribution from Europe to Japan. The text highlights the tree's durable timber, its symbolic association with mourning and the dead in ancient cultures, and specific species like the tall common cypress and the swamp cypress of North America, which features distinctive aerial roots. Legal concepts are addressed through the explanation of 'cy-près,' a doctrine allowing courts to apply charitable funds to purposes as near as possible to the original intent when the specific bequest becomes impossible to fulfill. Historical biographies include Saint Cyprian of Carthage, a wealthy convert who became a prominent bishop and martyr during the persecutions of the third century, known for his lenient stance on readmitting those who had lapsed in faith. The volume also profiles Dagobert I, the Frankish king who temporarily unified his realm before its eventual division again following his death. Geographical entries describe 'Daghestan,' a rugged, mountainous region in the Caucasus with severe climates and diverse ethnic populations, including the Lesghians. Mythological figures like Dagon, a Philistine deity associated with agriculture and fish, are also examined, linking local cults to broader Canaanite and Babylonian traditions. Finally, the volume concludes with the entry on Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre, the French painter and physicist who invented the daguerreotype. The text recounts his collaboration with Nicéphore Niépce, the technical steps of the photographic process involving silver plates and mercury vapor, and the subsequent government recognition that made photography accessible to the public.

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• Encyclopedias