Alexis Clairaut
Alexis Claude Clairaut | |
---|---|
Clairaut's relation Apsidal precession | |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Mathematics |
Alexis Claude Clairaut (French pronunciation:
Biography
Childhood and early life
Clairaut was born in Paris, France, to Jean-Baptiste and Catherine Petit Clairaut. The couple had 20 children, however only a few of them survived childbirth.
Personal life and death
Clairaut was unmarried, and known for leading an active social life.[2] His growing popularity in society hindered his scientific work: "He was focused," says Bossut, "with dining and with evenings, coupled with a lively taste for women, and seeking to make his pleasures into his day to day work, he lost rest, health, and finally life at the age of fifty-two." Though he led a fulfilling social life, he was very prominent in the advancement of learning in young mathematicians.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London on 27 October 1737.[4]
Clairaut died in Paris in 1765.
Mathematical and scientific works
The shape of the Earth
In 1736, together with
"It appears even Sir Isaac Newton was of the opinion, that it was necessary the Earth should be more dense toward the center, in order to be so much the flatter at the poles: and that it followed from this greater flatness, that gravity increased so much the more from the equator towards the Pole."[6]
This conclusion suggests not only that the Earth is of an oblate ellipsoid shape, but it is flattened more at the poles and is wider at the centre. His article in Philosophical Transactions created much controversy, as he addressed the problems of Newton's theory, but provided few solutions to how to fix the calculations. After his return, he published his treatise Théorie de la figure de la terre (1743). In this work he promulgated the theorem, known as
Geometry
In 1741, Clairaut wrote a book called Éléments de Géométrie. The book outlines the basic concepts of geometry. Geometry in the 1700s was complex to the average learner. It was considered to be a dry subject. Clairaut saw this trend, and wrote the book in an attempt to make the subject more interesting for the average learner. He believed that instead of having students repeatedly work problems that they did not fully understand, it was imperative for them to make discoveries themselves in a form of active, experiential learning.[7] He begins the book by comparing geometric shapes to measurements of land, as it was a subject that most anyone could relate to. He covers topics from lines, shapes, and even some three dimensional objects. Throughout the book, he continuously relates different concepts such as physics, astrology, and other branches of mathematics to geometry. Some of the theories and learning methods outlined in the book are still used by teachers today, in geometry and other topics.[8]
Focus on astronomical motion
One of the most controversial issues of the 18th century was the
The question of the apsides was a heated debate topic in Europe. Along with Clairaut, there were two other mathematicians who were racing to provide the first explanation for the three body problem; Leonhard Euler and Jean le Rond d'Alembert.[9] Euler and d'Alembert were arguing against the use of Newtonian laws to solve the three body problem. Euler in particular believed that the inverse square law needed revision to accurately calculate the apsides of the Moon.
Despite the hectic competition to come up with the correct solution, Clairaut obtained an ingenious approximate solution of the problem of the three bodies. In 1750 he gained the prize of the
The newfound solution to the problem of three bodies ended up meaning more than proving Newton's laws correct. The unravelling of the problem of three bodies also had practical importance. It allowed sailors to determine the longitudinal direction of their ships, which was crucial not only in sailing to a location, but finding their way home as well.[9] This held economic implications as well, because sailors were able to more easily find destinations of trade based on the longitudinal measures.
Clairaut subsequently wrote various papers on the
Publications
- Theorie de la figure de la terre, tirée des principes de l'hydrostatique (in French). Paris: Laurent Durand. 1743.
- Théorie de la figure de la terre, tirée des principes de l'hydrostatique (in French). Paris: Louis Courcier. 1808.
-
1743 copy of "Théorie de la Figure de la Terre, tirée des Principes de l’Hydrostatique"
-
Introduction to "Théorie de la Figure de la Terre, tirée des Principes de l’Hydrostatique"
-
1765 copy of "Théorie de la Lune & Tables de la Lune"
-
Dedication to "Théorie de la Lune & Tables de la Lune"
-
Dedication to "Théorie de la Lune & Tables de la Lune"
-
First page of "Théorie de la Lune & Tables de la Lune"
See also
- Clairaut's equation
- Clairaut's relation
- Clairaut's theorem
- Differential geometry
- Human computer
- Intermolecular force
- Symmetry of second derivatives
Notes
- ^ Other dates have been proposed, such as 7 May, which Judson Knight and the Royal Society report. Here is a discussion and argument for 13 May. Courcelle, Olivier (17 March 2007). "13 mai 1713(1): Naissance de Clairaut". Chronologie de la vie de Clairaut (1713-1765) (in French). Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ a b c Knight, Judson (2000). "Alexis Claude Clairaut". In Schlager, Neil; Lauer, Josh (eds.). Science and Its Times, Vol. 4: 1700-1799. pp. 247–248. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ Taner Kiral, Jonathan Murdock and Colin B. P. McKinney. "The Four Curves of Alexis Clairaut". MAA publications.
- ^ "Fellow Details: Clairaut; Alexis Claude (1713 - 1765)". Royal Society. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ O'Connor and, J. J.; E. F. Robertson (October 1998). "Alexis Clairaut". MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive. School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
- ^ JSTOR 103921.
- ^ Clairaut, Alexis Claude (1 January 1881). Elements of geometry, tr. by J. Kaines.
- ^ Smith, David (1921). "Review of Èléments de Géométrie. 2 vols". The Mathematics Teacher.
- ^ .
- ISBN 0-691-09157-9.
- ISBN 978-0-521-45718-7., p. 30
References
- Grier, David Alan, When Computers Were Human, ISBN 0-691-09157-9.
- Casey, J., "Clairaut's Hydrostatics: A Study in Contrast," American Journal of Physics, Vol. 60, 1992, pp. 549–554.