René Descartes (1596-1650 AD)

Father of Modern Philosophy, René Descartes has been accredited for his
many mathematical contributions too.

His most known contribution to math is in the field of analytical geometry. In

his publication, Discourse on Method (Discours de la methode), specifically
its appendices on La Geometrie achieved a milestone in compiling the
history of mathematics. Moreover, the book also introduced standard
algebraic notation, use of lowercase a, b and c for known quantities and x,
y and z for unknown quantities.
 Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665 AD)

Although a lawyer by profession, Pierre de Fermat was a mathematician at

heart which led him, along with René Descartes, to become one of the two
leading mathematicians of the seventeenth century. He is famous for the
factorization method named Fermat’s factorization method and discovering
a unique method for finding the greatest and smallest ordinates in curved
lines.

Looking to the works of Diophantus, Fermat played an influential role in

infinitesimal calculus, probability, optics and analytic geometry. His ground
breaking research was however in the discovery of new patterns in
numbers – something which had defeated mathematicians since centuries.
Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749-1827 AD)

Popularly known as the French Newton, Pierre-Simon Laplace was an

astronomer and mathematician. His work on the stability of the solar
system has been well-regarded.

Applying Isaac Newton’s theory of gravitation to the solar system, Laplace

explained the deviations of planets from their orbits. Moreover, he even
developed concepts of evolutionary change in the entire structure of the
solar system. He suggested the existence of black holes and gravitational
collapse and reaffirmed the nebular hypothesis of the origin of the solar
system.

Laplace’s work on probability and statistics theories inspired an entire

generation of mathematicians. Drawn to physics and astronomy at an early
age, Laplace soon became a professor and published scientific papers
simultaneously. In 1806, Laplace became a foreign elected member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and in 1822 he earned a foreign
honorary member position at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Adrien-Marie Legendre (1752-1833 AD)

Inventor of the Legendre polynomials and Legendre transformation, Adrien-

Marie Legendre worked on many important concepts in mathematics. In
number theory, he developed the quadratic reciprocity law and contributed
to applying analysis to division of primes and number theory. His work was
used parts of Gauss’ statistics, Galois Theory, number theory and elliptic
functions and he developed the least squares method used in linear
regression. In fact, Legendre’s most prized research was on elliptic
functions.

Legendre received an award for his mathematical contribution by the Berlin

Academy, was a Fellow of the Royal Society and officer of Legion
d’Honneur.
 Augustin-Louis Cauchy (1789-1857 AD)

Mathematician and author, Augustin-Louis Cauchy has eight hundred

research articles to his credit. He is remembered for being the first
mathematician to develop rules and definitions for mathematics.

Apart from that, Cauchy is known for proving infinitesimal calculus

theorems in a precise manner and contributing greatly to the theory of
substitution groups and mathematical analysis. Cauchy’s paper on wave
propagation in hydrodynamics earned him the most esteemed grand prix
from Institute of France. Similarly, for the theory of complex function, he
wrote a paper on definite integrals. In the area of science, he contributed
with his article on error theory as a valuable asset. Other theories for
functions of complex variables contributed to aeronautics and applied math.
 Charles Hermite (1822-1901 AD)

Perhaps the most prominent mathematician of the nineteenth century was

Charles Hermite. His work on elliptic functions, algebra and orthogonal
polynomials are match-less to date.

His research on quadratic forms and invariant theory, elliptic functions and
number theory were monumental. Although not formally educated,
Hermite’s theories on arithmetic quadratic forms, elliptic and algebraic
forms were widely popular. Hermite was born with a defected right foot
which restricted his moving abilities but in spite of this, he fought for his
rights, soon becoming an inspiration to many. The interpolation procedure
is often called the Hermite Interpolation named after him.
 Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

Philosopher, physicist, inventor, writer and mathematician, Blaise Pascal is

known for his invention of the mechanical calculator.

Pascal also contributed greatly to other research areas such as probability

theory, projective geometry, cycloid and the arithmetic triangle. Along with
his colleague Fermat, Pascal developed the foundations for mathematical
theory of probabilities.

In the natural and applied sciences, Pascal worked on concepts such as

fluids, pressure and vacuum. It is in his honour that a programming
language has been named and the SI unit of pressure. Other such
contributions which carry his name include the Pascal triangle, Pascal’s
law, and Pascal’s wager.
 Joseph Fourier (1768-1830)

Joseph Fourier was pioneering mathematician and physicist, famous for

developing the ‘Fourier Series’.

In his paper, The Analytic Theory of Heat (1822), Fourier presented using
Newton’s law of cooling; his research on how the conduction of heat in
solid bodies could be analyzed using infinite mathematical series, called
the Fourier Series. He further applied the same investigation to apply it to
heat transfer and vibrations. This was the first exactly correct theory based
on heat diffusion.

Fourier is also famously known for discovering the greenhouse effect

explaining how the Earth should ideally be much cooler than it is and the
reason for this heat was incoming solar radiation.
 Henri Poincaré (1854-1912)

Given the name Polymath for being well-versed in diverse fields of

knowledge was Jules Henri Poincaré. He is known as the inventor of
topology and theory of functions of analytics.

In answering important concerns about the solar system, Poincare studied

continuity of shapes in topology. He went on to describe the properties of
deterministic chaos and contributed greatly to nonlinear systems.

The first person to present the ‘Lorentz Transformations’, Henri Poincaré

was a pioneer in the field of special relativity and went on to influence a
long list of mathematicians who also became popular in this field. With his
immense role and religious dedication to the subject, Henri Poincaré
became a legend, and a special group used in physics and mathematics
called the ‘Poincaré Group’ was named after him.
 Andre Weil (1906-1998)

French mathematician, traveler and linguist, Andre Weil was an influential

figure in the field of mathematics during the 20th century. Being a child
prodigy, Weil took up mathematics as a very early addiction. He was a
lecturer for all of his life and taught in Gottengen, Rome, Paris as well as
Aligarh Muslim University in India where he was deeply inspired by
Hinduism and Sanskrit writings.

Andre made significant contributions in the field of mathematics. His most

important achievement was when he discovered a connection between
number theory and algebraic geometry. Moreover, he developed a theory
on algebraic curves based on his study of Diophantine equations. In the
field of rational numbers, he introduced a topological ring known as the
adele ring in algebraic number theory. Weil also laid the groundwork for
classical theory of quadratic forms with his development of the Weil
representation.

He remained professor at Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton

throughout his lifetime and was also an honorary member of American
National Academy of Sciences, London Mathematical Society, the Royal
Society of London and the French Academy of Sciences.
 Plane and Solid Geometry

10 Famous French
Mathematicians and Their
Contributions

Submitted to:
Mr. Richard Oco

Submitted by:
Ms. Mary Rose Mae A. Malolot