Switzerland - 10 francs
Switzerland - 10 francs - 1981 - P53
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This Swiss 10 francs banknote depicts the Swiss mathematician and physicist Leonhard Euler (1707-1783). He made important discoveries in fields as diverse as infinitesimal calculus and graph theory. He also introduced much of the modern mathematical terminology and notation, particularly for mathematical analysis, such as the notion of a mathematical function. He is also renowned for his work in mechanics, fluid dynamics, optics, and astronomy. His accomplishments in astronomy include determining with great accuracy the orbits of comets and other celestial bodies, understanding the nature of comets, and calculating the parallax of the sun. In addition, Euler made important contributions in optics. He disagreed with Newton's corpuscular theory of light in the Opticks, which was then the prevailing theory. His 1740s papers on optics helped ensure that the wave theory of light proposed by Christiaan Huygens would become the dominant mode of thought, at least until the development of the quantum theory of light.
The back of the note shows a water turbine, the solar system and a scheme of propagation of rays of light passing through lenses.
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