The Voyage from Vortex to Helicity (1517 - 1969)

This book in a single contribution for the first time examines the historical development of the concepts of vortex, vorticity, knot, chirality, and helicity between 1517 and 1969. It considers their origins in early pictorial and conceptual studies, their subsequent formalization in mathematical analysis, and their eventual consolidation as interconnected elements within fluid mechanics, mathematical physics, geophysics, and astrophysics. Attention is given to the progression from qualitative representations to formal definitions, including the emergence of vorticity, curl, and the gradient operator, as well as to the introduction of knot, chirality, and helicity as new means of describing physical and geometrical structure. The discussion emphasizes the extent to which these notions evolved in parallel, with recurring intersections between geometry, physics, and analysis. The volume is intended for undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics, dynamo theory, topology, knot theory, geophysics, astrophysics, and the history of mathematical physics.