Théodore Olivier

Théodore Olivier

Théodore Olivier (born January 14, 1793 in Lyon ; † August 5, 1853 there ) was a French mathematician and cinematographer .

Life

Olivier studied at the Imperial Lyceum in Lyon until his graduation in 1811 and then at the École polytechnique in Paris. In 1815 he became an assistant professor at the artillery school in Metz with a full professorship from 1819. In 1821 he went to Sweden at the invitation of the Swedish King Karl XIV (formerly General Bernadotte) to set up the military school in Marienberg. He stayed there until 1825. Back in Paris, he was one of the critics of the educational orientation of the École polytechnique and in 1829 was one of the founders of the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures . It was founded for the training of mechanical engineers for industry and was founded by the businessman from Nantes Alphonse Lavalléefinanced. In addition to Olivier, the scientists Baptiste Dumas and Eugène Péclet were also involved in the establishment. There Olivier was professor of descriptive geometry and mechanics. In addition, he was professor at the École polytechnique from 1830 to 1844 and from 1838 at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers .

Model by Olivier, cut of two cylinders, Musée des Arts et Métiers

He is known for the construction of three-dimensional models of geometry, many of which were sold to North American universities and are partially preserved there: West Point and the Columbia School of Mines bought from Olivier, Harvard University also bought such models in 1857, Princeton had copies of the models in Columbia School and William Gillespie of Union College in Schenectady bought the models from Olivier's estate in 1869. The models were made of wood, wire or thread and brass. Olivier also built gear models (preserved at the Musée des Art et Offices in Paris) and wrote a book on the kinematics of gears.

Model of a hyperboloid by Olivier in the Canada Science and Technology Museum

In 1827 he married Marguerite Aline Ramey, the daughter of the sculptor Claude Ramey . The marriage remained childless. He was the uncle of the French explorer in West Africa Aimé Olivier de Sanderval (1840-1919).

Fonts (selection)

• Des éclipses de soleil, Paris, Bachelier, 1834
• Recherches géométriques sur les centers de courbure des épicycloïdes planes et sphériques, et les développantes sphériques, sur les rayons de courbure des courbes et surfaces du second ordre, avec des applications aux engrenages, Paris, Bachelier, 1834
• Théorie géométrique des engrenages destinés à transmettre le mouvement de rotation entre deux axes non situés dans un même plan, Paris, Bachelier, 1842

literature

• JM Hervé: Théodore Olivier (1793-1853), in: Marco Ceccarelli (Ed.), Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science, Volume 1, Springer 2007, pp. 294-319

Web links

• John J. O'Connor, Edmund F. Robertson :  Théodore Olivier. In: MacTutor History of Mathematics archive .
• Union College, Olivier Models