Famous French Mathematicians

Mathematicians, from around the globe, have played a significant role in the world development as we see it today. And French mathematicians form the nucleus of the group, for it is to them that we have the foundation of algebra, probability, statistics and calculus theory laid. Rene Descartes gave the world algebraic notations of x, y, z and a, b, c to unknown and known quantities and a theory in analytical geometry. Pierre de Fermat played an influential role in infinitesimal calculus, probability, optics and analytic geometry. It was Laplace’s work on probability and statistics theories that ignited further research. Had it not been for Blaise Pascal, we would not have the mechanical calculator that we use today in our day-to-day life! It was French mathematician, Joseph Fourier who gave the world the ‘Fourier Series’. Andre Weil was responsible for discovering the connection between number theory and algebraic geometry. Who can forget Adrien-Marie Legendre who not just invented the Legendre polynomials and Legendre transformation but worked on many important concepts in mathematics? And did you know that French mathematician Agustin Louis Cauchy first developed the rules and definition for mathematics? With this section, explore in details the life and works of French mathematicians.