Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal(1623-1662)
Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher. He was born in Clermont-Ferrand, France. He lost his mother at the age of three. His father was a local judge and member of the petite noblesse, who also had an interest in science and mathematics. He had two siblings. They moved to Paris in 1631.
He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father. At first, his father wanted him to learn Latin and Greek, but young Pascal showed an amazing aptitude for mathematics and science. One day, however, his father found Pascal writing mathematic diagrams in his room. From then on, the boy was allowed to study Euclid. At the age of 16, he formulated one of the basic theorems of projective geometry, known as Pascal's theorem and described in his 'Essai pour les coniques' (Essay on Conics, 1639). In 1642 he invented the first mechanical adding machine. Some years later, Pascal formulated the mathematical theory of probability with the French mathematician 'Pierre de Fermat'. Pascal's other important scientific contributions include the derivation of Pascal's law or principle, and his investigations in the geometry of infinitesimals. His methodology reflected his emphasis on empirical experimentation as opposed to analytical, a priority methods, and he believed that human progress is perpetuated by the accumulation of scientific discoveries resulting from such experimentation.
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