Publication in Paris of her major treatise "Institutions de Physique" (Foundations of Physics), establishing her as a leading Enlightenment natural philosopher.
On 1 January 1740, Émilie du Châtelet’s major philosophical and scientific treatise, Institutions de Physique (Foundations of Physics), appeared in print in Paris. This substantial work grew out of notes she originally composed to educate her teenage son in natural philosophy, which she expanded into a sophisticated synthesis of contemporary mathematical physics and metaphysics.
In Institutions de Physique, du Châtelet introduced French readers to key aspects of Newtonian mechanics while also engaging deeply with Leibnizian and Cartesian ideas. She defended the concept of vis viva (living force), arguing that the measure of force is proportional to the square of velocity, a position that aligned her with Leibniz’s school and placed her at the center of ongoing debates about conservation laws. The book also explored topics such as space and time, the nature of matter, and the foundations of probability.
The 1740 publication was historically significant because it established du Châtelet as a leading Enlightenment thinker rather than merely a translator or salonnière. It circulated widely, was discussed by philosophers and scientists, and contributed to the gradual reception of Newtonian physics in France. At a time when women were generally excluded from formal teaching and academic positions, du Châtelet produced a rigorous textbook and philosophical treatise that shaped the education of male and female readers alike. This first edition marks a turning point in her career and in the integration of advanced physics into French intellectual culture.