Background
Kochański was born in Dobrzyń nad Wisłą.
Kochański was born in Dobrzyń nad Wisłą.
He studied philosophy at Vilnius University (then called Vilnius Academy). He also studied mathematics, physics and theology.
He went on to lecture on those subjects at several European universities: in Florence, Prague, Olomouc, Wrocław, Mainz and Würzburg. In 1680 he accepted an offer from January III Sobieski, the king of Poland, returning to Poland and taking the position of the king"s chaplain, mathematician, clock maker, librarian, and tutor of the king"s son, Jakub. He wrote many scientific papers, mainly on mathematics and mechanics, but also on physics, astronomy and philosophy.
Kochański cooperated and corresponded with many scientists, Johannes Hevelius and Gottfried Leibniz among them.
He was apparently the only one of the contemporary Poles to know elements of the newly invented calculus. As a mechanic he was a renowned clock maker.
He suggested replacing the clock"s pendulum with a spring, and standardizing the number of escapements per hour. He died in Teplice in Bohemia.