1671 in science
The year 1671 in science and technology involved some significant events.
Astronomy
- Completion of Paris Observatory, the world's first such national institution.
- February 27 – The Ortenau meteorite lands in Germany.
- October 25 – Italian-born French astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini discovers Iapetus, the second known moon of the planet Saturn.
Mathematics
- James Gregory develops a series expansion for the inverse tangent function and discovers Taylor's theorem.
- Sawaguchi Kazuyuki publishes Kokin-Sanpo-Ki, in which he gives the first comprehensive applied account of Chinese algebra in Japan.
Medicine
- Publication of Les secrets de la medecine des Chinois, the first Western book on traditional Eastern medicine, in Grenoble.
- Publication of Jane Sharp's The Midwives Book: or the Whole Art of Midwifry Discovered, the first on the subject to be written by an Englishwoman.
Physics
- Jacques Rohault publishes Traité de physique in Paris, disseminating Cartesian physics.
Technology
- March 31 – The English Royal Navy launches HMS Royal James at Portsmouth Royal Dockyard, its first warship to have a frame reinforced by iron bars rather than an all wooden ship, an innovation by naval architect Anthony Deane.