Pierre-Simon Laplace
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Pierre-Simon Laplace was a French physicist who demonstrated the stability of the solar system by applying Newton's theory of gravitation to planetary orbits.[1] Laplace's equation and the Laplace transform, both of which he developed, are mathematical tools that show up across many subfields of mathematical physics, a discipline he helped shape.[2]
Key facts and history
Laplace was born on 23 March 1749 in Beaumont-en-Auge, Normandy.[3] He published his five-volume Mécanique céleste from 1799 to 1825.[4] Subsequent investigations revealed that Laplace's father, Pierre de Laplace, was the owner and cultivator of the small Mérisier estate.[5] When he was sixteen years old, Laplace was enrolled at the University of Caen to study theology, following his father's plan.[6]
What the research sources say
The COMSOL article by Forrister states that Laplace confirmed Newton's theory of gravitation by applying it to planetary orbits.[1] Forrister also notes that Laplace was born to a bourgeois family in Normandy, France.[1] According to Forrister, Laplace published a three-part memoir on planetary inequalities while at the Academy.[1] Forrister reports that Laplace established the solar system is made up of rigid bodies moving under mutual gravitational attraction.[1]
Forrister describes Laplace's thought experiment "Laplace's demon" as a hypothetical intellect that knows the location and momentum for every atom.[1] Forrister adds that Laplace worked with Thomas Young on the Young-Laplace equation describing pressure across a curved surface.[1]
References
- Forrister, "Happy Birthday, Pierre-Simon Laplace", COMSOL, 28 March 2018. facts only, no text reused. comsol.com
- Wikipedia, "Pierre-Simon Laplace" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Montgomery, "Michell, Laplace and the Origin of the Black Hole Concept", Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 2009, p. 90–96; S.W. Hawking and George F.R. Ellis, The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time, Cambridge University Press, 1973, p. 364. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pierre-Simon Laplace" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: W.W. Rouse Ball A Short Account of the History of Mathematics, 4th edition, 1908. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pierre-Simon Laplace" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Forrister, "Happy Birthday, Pierre-Simon Laplace", COMSOL, 28 March 2018; Stigler, Stephen M. (1986). The History of Statistics: The Measurement of Uncertainty before 1900. Harvard University Press, Chapter 3. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pierre-Simon Laplace" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Laplace, being Extracts from Lectures delivered by Karl Pearson", Biometrika, vol. 21, December 1929, pp. 202–216. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pierre-Simon Laplace" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: * . Retrieved 25 August 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Pierre-Simon Laplace (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Pierre-Simon Laplace (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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