Jean le Rond d'Alembert Quotes

Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert was born in Paris, France. He was a French mathematician, philosopher and physicist. Until 1759 he was also co-editor with Denis Diderot of the Encyclopédie. His formula for obtaining solutions to the wave equation is named after him. The wave equation is sometimes referred to as d'Alembert's equation. He studied philosophy and law at Mazarin College, graduating as bachelor of arts in 1735. In July 1739 he made his first contribution to the field of mathematics, pointing out the errors he had detected in Analyse démontrée in a communication addressed to the Académie des Sciences. In 1740, he submitted his second scientific work from the field of fluid mechanics Mémoire sur la réfraction des corps solides, which was recognized by Clairaut. In 1743, he published his most famous work, Traité de dynamique, in which he developed his own laws of motion. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1781. He wrote several books include: Traité de Dynamique, Traité de l'Équilibre et du Mouvement des Fluides, and Opuscules Mathématiques.