Willem Jacob ‘s Gravesand was a Dutch natural philosopher known mostly for his books that introduced Newtonian theories into Continental Europe. His major work, Physices elementa mathematica, printed in 1720, provided a simple introduction to the complex concepts in Newton’s Principia. It was a popular text and ‘s Gravesande published several editions. In 1747, the work was translated into English, with a French edition printed the following year.