1696 in science
The year 1696 in science and technology involved some significant events.
History of science
- Daniel Le Clerc publishes Histoire de la médecine in Geneva, the first comprehensive work on the subject.
Mathematics
- Guillaume de l'Hôpital publishes Analyse des Infiniment Petits pour l'Intelligence des Lignes Courbes, the first textbook on differential calculus, including a statement of his rule for the computation of certain limits.
- Jakob Bernoulli and Johann Bernoulli solve the brachistochrone curve problem, the first result in the calculus of variations.