Alembert, Jean le Rond d'

1995/08/02 Azkune Mendia, Iñaki - Elhuyar Fundazioa | Kaltzada, Pili - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Biografiak

(1717-1783)

Mathematician, scientist, philosopher and French writer born in Paris on November 16, 1717. Son of the form of an aristocrat, his mother left the church of Saint Jean-le-Rond at birth. That is why they called him. Although the child was picked up by a glassmaker and his wife, Nazi, his father paid him the studies.

When D'Alembert began to become famous, his true mother appeared to him and wanted to conquer her, but the boy proudly refused saying "My mother is the woman of my glass."

It can be said that he studied almost alone, since he studied theology, medicine, law and mathematics on his own. It was approved at the age of twenty-three at the Academy of Sciences and dealt with gravitational theory (especially the precesion of equinoxes). In this work he advised Lagrange and Laplace.

In 1743 he published a treatise on dynamics. It expresses the so-called "principle of d'Alembert", relating dynamics and static. He then published numerous papers on fluid dynamics, rigid body mechanics, universe mechanics, or partial differential equations. In 1749, for example, he published studies on equinoxes and proposed for the first time the solution to determine the movement of rotation of any body, in 1751 he named the famous Encyclopédie or "Encyclopedia" of Diderot, who wrote the introductory conference, in 1752 published Eléments de musique, in 1754, proposed the method of partial resolution of systems of differential equations (1946). It should be noted that his papers on mathematics were published in eight books in 1780. It showed that there were enough complex numbers for analytical calculation.

In 1762 he was appointed secretary of the French Academy, a position he held until his death. Frederick II proposed to be president of the Academy of Berlin and Catherine II of Russia called the Academy of St.Petersburg, but did not accept these offers. From the French Academy he tried to help his friends.

D'Alembert compiled philosophical works and published them in the book Mélanges de philosophie, d'histoire et de littérature. In his thought he has materialism and idealism. He affirms that it is an objective reality and believes in the development and progress of science, but also recognizes that out of matter the soul lives. He says it is impossible to appropriate absolute truth and considers God as the creator of the world.

But it is famous for its participation in the prestigious Encyclopedia with d'Alembert Diderot. He wrote the introduction and articles, but the work remained in Diderot's hands because there were difficulties to continue.

D'Alembert died in Paris on 29 October 1783.