 willem jacob 's gravesande (26 september 1688 â 28 february 1742) was a dutch lawyer and natural philosopher, chiefly remembered for developing experimental demonstrations of the laws of classical mechanics. as professor of mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy at leiden university, he helped to propagate isaac newton's ideas in continental europe. ==life== born in 's-hertogenbosch, 's gravesande studied law at leiden university, where he defended a thesis on suicide and earned a doctorate in 1707. he then practiced law in the hague while also participating in intellectual discussions and cultivating his interest in the mathematical sciences. his essai de perspective ("essay on perspective"), published in 1711, was praised by the influential swiss mathematician johann bernoulli.google books  page 331. retrieved 2009-10-06 in the hague, 's gravesande also helped to establish the journal littÃ©raire ("literary journal"), a learned periodical first published in 1713.albert van helden, "willem jacob 's gravesande, 1688-1742", in a history of science in the netherlands, eds. k. van berkel, a. van helden and l. palm, (leiden: brill, 1999), pp. 450-453 in 1715, 's gravesande visited london as part of a dutch delegation sent to welcome the hanoverian succession in great britain. in london, 's gravesande met both king george i and isaac newton, and was elected a fellow of the royal society.{{cite web|url= http://www2.royalsociety.org/dserve/dserve.exe?dsqini=dserve.ini&d
1688_births 1742_deaths Dutch_physicists Fellows_of_the_Royal_Society Leiden_University_alumni Leiden_University_faculty People_from_\'s-Hertogenbosch