The Renaissance brought continued development of fluid systems and
machines, but more importantly, the scientific method was perfected and
adopted throughout Europe. Simon Stevin (1548–1617), Galileo Galilei
(1564–1642), Edme Mariotte (1620–1684), and Evangelista Torricelli
(1608–1647) were among the first to apply the method to fluids as they
investigated hydrostatic pressure distributions and vacuums. That work was
integrated and refined by the brilliant mathematician, Blaise Pascal (1623–
1662). The Italian monk, Benedetto Castelli (1577–1644) was the first person
to publish a statement of the continuity principle for fluids. Besides formulating
his equations of motion for solids, Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727)
applied his laws to fluids and explored fluid inertia and resistance, free jets,
and viscosity. That effort was built upon by the Swiss Daniel Bernoulli
technical writers such as Georgius Agricola