Jean-Etienne Montucla
Jean-Étienne Montucla (born September 5, 1725 in Lyon , † December 18, 1799 in Versailles ) was a French mathematician and was known for his extensive book Histoire des mathématiques on the history of mathematics .
biography
Born in Lyon as the son of a merchant, he received his training from the Jesuits. In Toulouse he began a law degree that was never completed, then went to Paris, where he collaborated on the publication of scientific works. There he met Jean le Rond d'Alembert .
His book Histoire des recherches sur la quadrature du cercle about the squaring of the circle discussed at the time was published anonymously . This work sparked his interest in the history of mathematics. Four years later, in 1758, he published his main work on the subject Histoire des mathématiques in two volumes. All of the knowledge about the area at that time is summarized here.
In the same year he was appointed Secretary of the Grenoble Administration. In 1764 he becomes secretary of the expedition that is to found a colony in Cayenne. Another year later he became Premier commis des bâtiments (chief deputy for building administration) and royal censor for mathematical works.
He accompanies the publication of the book Récréations mathématiques et physiques (mathematical and physical conversations) by Jacques Ozanam .
In the French Revolution he lost his position and his income because he was too close to the crown. It was not until 1794 that he was resumed as chairman of a public health committee. In 1795 he was employed as a math teacher in a Paris school. At the same time, his health deteriorates. In 1798 his main work appears in the second edition.
Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande published after his death in 1799 and 1802 an expanded edition of the Histoire des mathématiques in four volumes.
The work is available as a reprint from the Librairie Scientifique et technique, Albert Blanchard, 9 Rue de Médicis, Paris 6ième .
In 1755 he was elected a foreign member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences . In 1796 he became a member of the Académie des Sciences in Paris.
Web links
- John J. O'Connor, Edmund F. Robertson : Jean-Étienne Montucla. In: MacTutor History of Mathematics archive .
- Literature by and about Jean-Étienne Montucla in the SUDOC catalog (Association of French University Libraries)
- Information on Jean-Étienne Montucla in the database of the Bibliothèque nationale de France .
Individual evidence
- ^ Historical members of the academy: Jean-Étienne Montucla. Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, accessed on January 25, 2020 .
- ^ List of members since 1666: Letter M. Académie des sciences, accessed on January 25, 2020 (French).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Montucla, Jean-Etienne |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French mathematician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 5, 1725 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lyon |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 18, 1799 |
| Place of death | Versailles |