Mathematical Contributions of Blaise Pascal :: Biography Biographies Essays

Mathematical Contributions of Blaise PascalIntroduction Blaise Pascal was born on June 19, 1623 in Clermont Ferrand. Hisnationality was french. He died in 1662. He was credited for hisimaginative and subtle conk out in geometry and other branches of mathematics.His work influenced later generations of theologians and philosophers,helping make mathematics what it is today. Blaise Pascal is considered partof the ft of the very heart of mathematics. History At age 12 he mastered Euclids Elements. In 1645, he invented andsold the first adding machine. His study of hydrostatics led to the initiation of the syringe and hydraulic press. At age 16, he formulated thebasic theorems of projective geometry. These theorems became known asPascals theorem. He proved that the level of mercury column in abarometer is determined by the increase or decrease in the surroundingatmospherical pressure. This discovery verified the hypothesis of the Italianphysicist Eva ngelista Torricelli, concerning the effect of atmosphericpressure on the equilibrium of liquids. After publishing Essay pour les coniques (Essay on conic sections),Pascal temporarily abandoned the study of mathematics due(p) to poor health.He lived in Paris for a while in a frivolous manner as a break. Hisinterest in opportunity theory of the odds in gambling games lead him todiscover the Theory of probability in conjunction with Pierre de Fermat.This theory dealt with the actuarial, mathematical, social statistics, andcalculations used in todays modern theoretical physics. At the end of1654, after several months of depression, Pascal had a life alteringreligious experience. He entered the Jansenist monastery in Port Royal.Here, he never published his own name again in his mathematical studies. Hewrote a pseudonym to help in the struggle against the Jesuits for thedefense of the Jansenist, Antoine Arnauld. In 1658, he broke with theJansenists, and left the monastery. Pasca l died on August 19, 1662 fromcancer, at age 39. In his life, his most famous work was perhaps Pensees(thoughts). This was a knack of deeply personal meditations in a somewhatfragmented form on human suffering and faith in God. Another famous workof his was called Pascals Wager. This expressed the conviction thatbelief in God is rational If God does not exist, one stands to lose