Outstanding mathematical ability distinguished this poor health person. He managed to make a number of discoveries and inventions that formed the basis of the philosophical principles of mathematics and physics.
The great French mathematician in Europe is revered for flawless proofs of theoretical postulates. He is known as the inventor of the first calculating devices that could mechanically carry out arithmetic operations of addition and subtraction. Amazing examples of such machines are kept in the historical museums of Dresden and Paris. They got their name from the name of their famous author - "Pascalins".
Biography
The famous scientist Blaise Pascal was born on June 19, 1623 in the French town of Clermont - Ferand. He is a unique mathematician, philosopher, mechanic and classic of French literature.
The scientist's father, Etienne Pascal, was a mathematician, knew several languages, and additionally studied history and literature. Etienne worked as chairman of the tax office. Antoinette Begon, Blaise's mother, was a kind-hearted and decent woman, raising children and doing housework. Blaise and two sisters grew up in a wealthy and well-educated family.
At the age of three, the boy became an orphan. Antoinette Begon died of a serious illness, and the father began to deal with the development of the children. Pascal the elder did not marry again, he devoted his whole life to the education of children. In the Blaise family, Pascal was the youngest and grew up as a very gifted and talented boy.
Career
At the age of 11, Pascal became interested in various sounds. One day, while sitting at dinner, my father accidentally touched a spoon on a cup. Blaise drew attention to the sound that appeared. But he was more interested when, slightly touching the cup, the echo disappeared. The guy was so caught up in the fact that he decided to do some research. After some time, it was they who became the beginning for the "Treatise on Sounds".
At the age of 12, the future scientist was fond of ancient languages. Famous physicists and philosophers often visited Pascal's father. The boy studied science with special interest. Knowledge of literature and mathematics was easy for him. He tried to read as many books about ancient history as possible.
The father was fond of mathematics, it was he who gave his son the foundations of science. Blaise Pascal never ceased to amaze his father with his talents. He wrote a well-grounded article on vibrating bodies. After some time, he proved that the sum of the angles of a triangle is equal to two right angles.
Young Blaise, at the age of 14, began to attend courses of the French mathematician and theorist Maren Mersenne.
In the winter of 1640, Pascal changed his place of residence, moved to the capital of Normandy - Rouen. The young man's health limped from childhood. And every day he got worse. The scientist was tormented by severe headache attacks, from which there was no deliverance. However, he never ceased to amaze with his works.
In 1646, Blaise Pascal took an interest in physics. He established the law of distribution of pressure in a liquid and the principle of operation of a hydraulic press. Blaise assures that there is a vacuum in every substance. He confirmed that it is the vacuum that drives the mercury in the barometer and fills the space above the substance in the mercury column. In the convention "New Experiments Concerning Emptiness," Pascal described all his research in detail.
In 1651, Pascal's father died. Sister Jacqueline decided to go to the monastery. She was the only close and close person who always supported Blaise. In order to somehow distract himself, Pascal began to appear more often in the company of his friends, and became carried away by gambling.
Creation
At the age of 17, the young Blaise published his main scientific essay - "An Experiment on Conical Sections". At the age of 18, Pascal is working on the invention of a computing mechanism. For several years he came up with new options. Finally, he found a way to make a mechanical structure that performed simple arithmetic operations - an adding machine.
In 1653, the manuscript "A Treatise on the Equilibrium of Fluids" was published, where he introduced the main law of hydrostatics.
In 1654, the scientist decided to leave France and went to the Port Royal monastery as a confessor. Health deteriorated, pain increasingly reminded of itself. Exhausted, Pascal hoped to find solace and consolation in religion. The harsh daily routine and endless prayers in the monastery did not help the scientist gain strength.
Personal life
Blaise Pascal was not married. The famous scientist did not have a personal life as such. Science has always come first. The legend said: three-year-old Blaise was cursed by a poor old woman. The elder Pascal believed in magic and found a witch to remove the damage from his son. The curse was dropped on the black cat, but Blaise still felt unwell all his life. There were times when an intense heartbeat almost brought the philosopher to fainting.
Pascal's body was dying from brain cancer, and there were also problems with the spine. Ignoring the orders of the healers, the scientist absorbed science further. From year to year he got worse and worse. The doctors were unable to help. Shortly before his death, Pascal was diagnosed with intestinal tuberculosis.
Pascal understood that he was hanging by a thread from death, but he did not experience any fear of death.
Blaise Pascal died on August 19, 1662. A university in France, a crater on the moon, was named in his honor. At the age of 39, he managed to amaze the world with his achievements and inventions.
