vortex theory noun2 •(historical) An obsolete scientific theory, chiefly developed by René Descartes, which attempted to explain celestial mechanics and the phenomena now described as gravitation by positing a system of fluid vortices governed by centrifugal forces and extending outwards from the sun.Still, it cannot be denied that the fortunes of vortex theory eclipsed radically with the publication of Newton’s Principia. — 2000 •The vortex theory of the atom: a theory by Lord Kelvin, to explain why there are relatively few types of atom, but a huge number of each type.
