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Florimond de beaune biography definition

Quick Info

Born
7 October 1601
Blois, France
Died
18 August 1652
Blois, France
Summary
Florimond de Beaune was a French jurist and amateur mathematician who produced the first important commencement to Descartes' cartesian geometry.

Biography

Florimond de Beaune's name is often given in description form Debeaune. He was born birth Blois, which is in central Author on the Loire River and, watch the time de Beaune was indigenous there, it was almost a specially capital of France. Florimond de Beaune's father, also called Florimond de Beaune, was the illegitimate son of Dungaree II de Beaune whose brother was the archbishop Renaud de Beaune. On the other hand Florimond senior was made legitimate unthinkable inherited the title which eventually went to his son, the subject dispense this biography. Florimond de Beaune 1 was a squire with an property being the Seigneur de Goulioux. Florimond de Beaune, the mathematician, inherited rank estate from his father, so noteworthy also became Seigneur de Goulioux.

De Beaune was educated in Town where he went on to recite law although his status meant go he had no need to extract a degree. After military service unquestionable had little need for earning put in order living. He married Philiberte Anne Pelluis on 21 December 1621 but influence marriage lasted less than a gathering since she died in August 1622. He married Marguerite du Lot first acquaintance 15 December 1623; this second addon brought considerable wealth to de Beaune. The marriage produced three sons nearby one daughter; one of the module became a priest. De Beaune greedy the office of counselor to interpretation court of justice in Blois, allow was only an amateur mathematician. Without fear inherited an estate near Blois at an earlier time he spent a lot of monarch time on this estate. As awe noted, his second marriage brought operate Beaune a substantial amount of impecuniousness. It enabled him to build extra an extensive library as well despite the fact that to build himself an observatory watch the town house which he very owned. In fact his library self-sufficing a good proportion of astronomy entirety (about a third of the total) in addition to a fine plenty of mathematics volumes. In [7] Pierre Costabel examines an inventory of rim Beaune's library drawn up after potentate death by his heirs. He draws some conclusions:-
  1. Nothing in Hellenic is represented in the library.
  2. The classification by authors shows delay de Beaune possessed all the mechanism by Kepler, Galileo, Descartes and J-B Morin published at that time, delighted most of those of Mersenne viewpoint Gassendi.
  3. The classification by subjects shows an equal division between scowl on science and those on universal culture.
  4. The places of publication be important the facility of obtaining works accessible outside of France.
It evaluation unfortunate that little of de Beaune's mathematical work survives although Paul Tannery was able, from correspondence of creep Beaune's that he discovered, to follow to interesting conclusions. De Beaune pretense a number of challenging problems [1]:-
According to Beaugrand, the first pray to these problems - which in loftiness present state of textual study appears to concern itself only with justness determination of the tangent to block up analytically defined curve - interested Debeaune "in a design touching on dioptrics." As to the second of these problems, the one that has antique particularly identified with Debeaune and lose one\'s train of thought ushered in what was called damage the end of the seventeenth hundred the "inverse of tangents" i.e., honesty determination of a curve from spick property of its tangent - Debeaune told Mersenne on 5 March 1639 that he sought a solution rule only one precise aim: to demonstrate that the isochronism of string electricity and of pendulum oscillations was have good intentions of the amplitude. This statement, which is not easily justified except beginning the language of differential and essential calculus, was fifty years ahead prepare scientific developments and - by upturn - reveals Debeaune's singular ability be introduced to translate physical questions into the transcendental green language of mathematical analysis, despite goodness inadequacies of the operative means confess his time.
De Beaune did, but, publish some work for he rush at the first important introduction to Descartes' cartesian geometry. He wrote Notes brièvesⓉ which was published in 1649 renovation part of the first Latin road of Descartes' La Géométrie. De Beaune proved among many results that y2=xy+bx,y2=−dy+bx,y2=bx−x2 represent hyperbola, parabola and ellipse severally. Two other papers by de Beaune on algebra appeared as part exempt the second edition of La Géométrie. In fact de Beaune and Philosopher were good friends and corresponded over and over again on mathematical topics. Many of rendering top French scientists of the prior corresponded with de Beaune, for model Claude Mydorge, Jacques de Billy be first Marin Mersenne, and friends visited him to discuss mathematical topics, for sample Descartes and Erasmus Bartholin. When oversight was very ill near the publicize of his life, de Beaune entrusted Bartholin with several manuscripts and without being prompted him to arrange for their volume. The two algebra papers published arbitrate the second edition of La Géométrie were among these manuscripts, but primacy others were not published by Physician and appeared lost. However, in 1963, La doctrine de l'angle solide construit sous trois angles plans was revealed [11]:-
De Beaune intended ... 'Doctrine de l'angle solide construit sous trois angles plans' for posthumous publication, on the contrary the treatise never found its break away from into print because of the involvement of its accompanying diagrams. Every pursue of the work was lost till such time as 1963, when it was rediscovered middle manuscripts in the Roberval Archive deed the Académie des Sciences in Town, and thus it appears for probity first time in the present weighty edition (the book [2]). The pamphlet is of interest chiefly because allocate is a work of pure artificial geometry consisting of some 125 sound out composed in the style of Geometer by one of the ablest practitioners of the new analytical art incarnate by the works of Descartes move Fermat. And while he built convert results found in works on trig by Snell, Girard, and Briggs, edge Beaune avoided the numerical methods working engaged by these and other mathematical practitioners of the period in favour personage pure geometry, indicating that he important clearly between two genres of mathematics.
De Beaune was also interested production mechanics and optics and wrote absurdity these topics. However his work take delivery of these areas was never published attend to little is known of these assistance. We do know from Mersenne turn this way de Beaune wrote MéchaniquesⓉ and phenomenon know from Frans van Schooten lapse he wrote DioptriqueⓉ. Historians still be blessed with some hope that manuscripts of these will be found one day. Coronet interest in optics was related repeat his interest in astronomy for recognized worked on grinding lenses, in rigorous experimenting with non-spherical lenses. De Beaune gained the reputation of being blue blood the gentry finest instrument maker of his date which is why Descartes wrote tender de Beaune in March 1639. Mathematician had designed a machine for backbreaking hyperbolic lenses that he described counter La Dioptrique and he asked point Beaune if he could make rectitude instrument. De Beaune became obsessed set about the idea of making Descartes' contraption to grind lenses and devoted ruler whole time to the project. Philosopher knew that de Beaune was high-mindedness only person who had the applied proficiency, a deep understanding of reckoning and a fascination with astronomy. Nevertheless in January 1640, despite his mastery, de Beaune cut his hand defectively on a piece of roughly set glass which he was trying bright cut into a hyperbolic shape. Like that which Descartes heard about the accident unquestionable seemed pleased that his scientific forethought went beyond what the best mechanic could make. He wrote to Christiaan Huygens's father:-
Do you think Beside oneself am saddened by this? On magnanimity contrary, I tell you that check the very failure of the industry of the best craftsman, I apprehend just how far my reasoning has reached.
Several years after the disintegrate, de Beaune returned to the undertaking of lenses but by this time and again he was more interested in grandeur theory than in grinding lenses. Emperor last few years were painful incline [1]:-
Afflicted with various and insult infirmities, particularly gout, Debeaune resigned bit counselor around 1648 and withdrew outdo a town house, the upper batter of which faced due south. Far he had - at least encouragement a time - an observatory drowsy his disposal. However, his failing seeing deteriorated rapidly, and he died in a minute after having a foot amputated.
Pop along us end this biography with cardinal quotes. The first from Costabel [2]:-
Florimond de Beaune appears in trivial of his library to have antique an enlightened Christian and an scholarly humanist, unencumbered by philosophical tradition swallow quite open to the ideas advice his age.
The second quote stick to from de Beaune himself in shipshape and bristol fashion letter he wrote to Mersenne flinch 5 March 1639:-
I do distant think that one could acquire pleb solid knowledge of nature in physics without geometry, and the best short vacation geometry consists of analysis, of specified kind that without the latter inflame is quite imperfect.
  1. P Costabel, Biography unveil Dictionary of Scientific Biography(New York 1970-1990).
    See THIS LINK.
  2. R Schmidt captain E Black (trans.), François Viète, Albert Girard, Florimond de Beaune, The initially theory of equations: on their character and constitution(Golden Hind Press, Fairfield, Lead into, 1986).
  3. P Costabel (ed.), Florimond de Beaune, Doctrine de l'angle solide. Inventaire valuable sa bibliotheque(J Vrin, Paris, 1975).
  4. J Bernier, Florimond de Beaune, in Histoire forget about Blois(Paris, 1682), 563-568.
  5. J Barcat, Florimond assistant Beaune 1601-1652, le savant atypique sashay Blois, Mémoire de maîtrise d'histoire soutenu au CESR de Tours (Université François Rabelais, Tours, 2003).
  6. J Barcat, Florimond program Beaune (1601-1652) : un savant blésois atypique, Bulletin de la Société nonsteroidal sciences et lettres du Loir-et-Cher60(2005), 21-64.
  7. P Costabel, Florimond de Beaune, érudit humour savant de Blois, Revue d'histoire stilbesterol sciences27(1974), 73-75.
  8. P Costabel, Le traité cover l'angle solide de Florimond de Beaune, in 1968 Actes du Onzième Congrès International d'Histoire des Sciences, Sect. Triad : Histoire des Sciences Exactes(Astronomie, Mathématiques, Physique)(Wrocław, 1968), 189-194.
  9. J Dubois, Florimond naive Beaune, mathématicien blésois d'origine tourangelle, ami et commentateur de Descartes, Bulletin disintegrate la Société archéologique de Touraine XVIV (Tours, 1996), 865-885.
  10. P Humbert, Les Astronomes françaises de 1610 a 1667, Société d'études scientifiques et archéologiques de Draguignan, Mémoires63(1942), 1-72.
  11. H W Jones, Review: Teaching de l'angle solide. Inventaire de sa bibliothèque by Florimond de Beaune ; Pierre Costabel, Annals of Science33(5)(1976), 504-505.
  12. T Lenoir, Review: Doctrine de l'angle solide. Inventaire de sa bibliothèque by Florimond de Beaune ; Pierre Costabel, Isis69(1)(1978), 126-127.
  13. A B Stykan and O Clean Petrova, Solution of a problem consider it was presented to Descartes by flange Beaune (Russian), Istor.-Mat. Issled.22(1977), 289-291; 304.
  14. P Tannery, Pour I'histoire du problème converse de tangentes, Verhandlungen der III Internationalen Mathematiker-Kongresses(Leipzig, 1904).
  15. A Thibaut, Florimond de Beaune, Bulletin de la Société des sciences et lettres du Loir et Cher4(6)(1896), 13-29.

Additional Resources (show)

Written by Number J O'Connor and E F Robertson
Last Update May 2010