René Descartes (1596-1650 AD)

Father of Modern Philosophy, René Descartes has

been accredited for his many mathematical
contributions too.
His most known contribution to math is in the
field of analytical geometry. In his publication,
Discourse on Method (Discours de la methode),
specifically its appendices on La Geometrie
achieved a milestone in compiling the history of
mathematics. Moreover, the book also introduced
standard algebraic notation, use of lowercase a, b
and c for known quantities and x, y and z for
unknown quantities.

Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665 AD)

Although a lawyer by profession, Pierre de

Fermat was a mathematician at heart which led
him, along with René Descartes, to become one
of the two leading mathematicians of the
seventeenth century. He is famous for the
factorization method named Fermat’s
factorization method and discovering a unique
method for finding the greatest and smallest
ordinates in curved lines.
Looking to the works of Diophantus, Fermat
played an influential role in infinitesimal
calculus, probability, optics and analytic
geometry. His ground breaking research was however in the discovery of new patterns in
numbers – something which had defeated mathematicians since centuries.

Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749-1827 AD)

Popularly known as the French Newton, Pierre-

Simon Laplace was an astronomer and
mathematician. His work on the stability of the
solar system has been well-regarded.
Applying Isaac Newton’s theory of gravitation to
the solar system, Laplace explained the deviations
of planets from their orbits. Moreover, he even
developed concepts of evolutionary change in the
entire structure of the solar system. He suggested
the existence of black holes and gravitational
collapse and reaffirmed the nebular hypothesis of
the origin of the solar system.
Laplace’s work on probability and statistics theories inspired an entire generation of
mathematicians. Drawn to physics and astronomy at an early age, Laplace soon became a
professor and published scientific papers simultaneously. In 1806, Laplace became a foreign
elected member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and in 1822 he earned a foreign
honorary member position at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Adrien-Marie Legendre (1752-1833 AD)

Inventor of the Legendre polynomials and

Legendre transformation, Adrien-Marie Legendre
worked on many important concepts in
mathematics. In number theory, he developed the
quadratic reciprocity law and contributed to
applying analysis to division of primes and
number theory. His work was used parts of Gauss’
statistics, Galois Theory, number theory and
elliptic functions and he developed the least
squares method used in linear regression. In fact,
Legendre’s most prized research was on elliptic
functions.
Legendre received an award for his mathematical
contribution by the Berlin Academy, was a Fellow
of the Royal Society and officer of Legion
d’Honneur.

Augustin-Louis Cauchy (1789-1857 AD)

Mathematician and author, Augustin-Louis

Cauchy has eight hundred research articles to his
credit. He is remembered for being the first
mathematician to develop rules and definitions for
mathematics.
Apart from that, Cauchy is known for proving
infinitesimal calculus theorems in a precise manner
and contributing greatly to the theory of
substitution groups and mathematical analysis.
Cauchy’s paper on wave propagation in
hydrodynamics earned him the most esteemed
grand prix from Institute of France. Similarly, for
the theory of complex function, he wrote a paper
on definite integrals. In the area of science, he
contributed with his article on error theory as a valuable asset. Other theories for functions of
complex variables contributed to aeronautics and applied math.

Charles Hermite (1822-1901 AD)

 Perhaps the most prominent mathematician of the
nineteenth century was Charles Hermite. His work on
elliptic functions, algebra and orthogonal polynomials
are match-less to date.
His research on quadratic forms and invariant theory,
elliptic functions and number theory were monumental.
Although not formally educated, Hermite’s theories on
arithmetic quadratic forms, elliptic and algebraic forms
were widely popular. Hermite was born with a defected
right foot which restricted his moving abilities but in
spite of this, he fought for his rights, soon becoming an
inspiration to many. The interpolation procedure is
often called the Hermite Interpolation named after him.

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

Philosopher, physicist, inventor, writer and

mathematician, Blaise Pascal is known for his
invention of the mechanical calculator.
Pascal also contributed greatly to other research areas
such as probability theory, projective geometry,
cycloid and the arithmetic triangle. Along with his
colleague Fermat, Pascal developed the foundations
for mathematical theory of probabilities.
In the natural and applied sciences, Pascal worked on
concepts such as fluids, pressure and vacuum. It is in
his honour that a programming language has been
named and the SI unit of pressure. Other such
contributions which carry his name include the Pascal
triangle, Pascal’s law, and Pascal’s wager.

Joseph Fourier (1768-1830)

Joseph Fourier was pioneering mathematician and

physicist, famous for developing the ‘Fourier
Series’.
In his paper, The Analytic Theory of Heat (1822),
Fourier presented using Newton’s law of cooling; his
research on how the conduction of heat in solid
bodies could be analyzed using infinite mathematical
series, called the Fourier Series. He further applied
the same investigation to apply it to heat transfer and
vibrations. This was the first exactly correct theory
based on heat diffusion.
Fourier is also famously known for discovering the greenhouse effect explaining how the Earth
should ideally be much cooler than it is and the reason for this heat was incoming solar radiation.

Henri Poincaré (1854-1912)

Given the name Polymath for being well-versed in

diverse fields of knowledge was Jules Henri
Poincaré. He is known as the inventor of topology and
theory of functions of analytics.
In answering important concerns about the solar
system, Poincare studied continuity of shapes in
topology. He went on to describe the properties of
deterministic chaos and contributed greatly to
nonlinear systems.
The first person to present the ‘Lorentz
Transformations’, Henri Poincaré was a pioneer in the
field of special relativity and went on to influence a
long list of mathematicians who also became popular in this field. With his immense role and
religious dedication to the subject, Henri Poincaré became a legend, and a special group used in
physics and mathematics called the ‘Poincaré Group’ was named after him.

Andre Weil (1906-1998)

French mathematician, traveler and linguist, Andre Weil

was an influential figure in the field of mathematics
during the 20th century. Being a child prodigy, Weil
took up mathematics as a very early addiction. He was a
lecturer for all of his life and taught in Gottengen,
Rome, Paris as well as Aligarh Muslim University in
India where he was deeply inspired by Hinduism and
Sanskrit writings.
Andre made significant contributions in the field of
mathematics. His most important achievement was
when he discovered a connection between number
theory and algebraic geometry. Moreover, he developed
a theory on algebraic curves based on his study of
Diophantine equations. In the field of rational numbers,
he introduced a topological ring known as the adele ring in algebraic number theory. Weil also
laid the groundwork for classical theory of quadratic forms with his development of the Weil
representation.
He remained professor at Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton throughout his lifetime and
was also an honorary member of American National Academy of Sciences, London
Mathematical Society, the Royal Society of London and the French Academy of Sciences.