Blaise Pascal was born June 19, 1623in Clermont, France. Although he ended up having three other siblings, he was the only boy. After his mother's death, his father moved him and his three sisters to Paris. Pascal was homeschooled by his father; however his father insisted he not learn math until the age of 15. Pascal was eager to educate himself in the realm of mathematics though, and found ways to learn geometry by age 12. By 14 Pascal joined his father in various meetings where he eventually presented several geometry theorums. In 1640, Pascal had his first work published: Essay on Conic Sections. After working on it for three years, Pascal finally invented the first digital calculator. The invention of the digital calculator was copmpletely revolutionary and its use is evident through out even modern times. For Pascal personally, 1646 was a year of great transformation, several major events and circumstances all factored into Pascal movement into an extremely religious man. In 1677 Pascal had the major scientific discovery that a vacuum existed about the atmosphere. Pascal has made numerous mathematic and scientific discoveries, invented many tools which started development to what are now major modern day devices. Several of his discoveries lead to further discoveries by other great thinkers, such as Sir Isaac Newton's work relating to the binomial theorum. Sadly, at the age of 39 a growth in Pascal's stomach travelled to his brain, which ultimately caused his death. The amount Pascal discovered and accomplished his simply mind blowing; however the fact that he achieved all of this before he turned 40 is simply incredible!
Questions:
A.
What was it like to live in France when Blaise Pascal did? What was going on socially, culturally, politically, etc? How was Blaise Pascal affected by his time period and how did he in term affect everyone else?
During 1626 England and France went back and forth with several disputes, which eventually led to a very large naval expedition under the command of the Duke of Buckingham. During the time Pascal was living in France, Louise XIV was reigning as king. Several rich families of the time had servants to take care of the housework. Pascal lived in a time where there was a definite class system. The fashion of this time was all very lavish and extraordinary. "The General Crisis" was occuring during the 17th century, meaning this time was characterized by widespread conflict and shifts of power were not uncommon in Europe during this time. Pascal lived during the perfect time for making scientific discoveries. The Renaissance era was coming to a close and countless mathematical and scientific discoveries were being made, causing this era to be known as the Scientific Revolution. Pascal really embraced these times of great discovery and not only laid the foundation for other great discoveries and inventions, but he also built off of what other great thinkers of the time were presenting.
B
Name a few ways Blaise Pascal changed history. how did his thoughts and actions affect the way other people thought fifty or one hundred years later? Elaborate.
Pascal's discoveries have influenced mathematical and scientific knowledge from the 17th century to modern day. His work is still studied in class rooms acround the world and his theorums and inventions are applied by numerous scientists, physicists, and mathematicians. One of Pascal's earliest discoveries was Pascal's Law which describes the role of pressure in characterizing the state of a fluid. He also brought more knowledge to the subjects of pressure, as well as a vacuum. Pascal also discovered and explained what is known in math as Pascal's triangle. Wityh the intentions of honoring him, the SI unit for pressure was given the name Pascal. Blaise Pascal's achievements stretch far beyond his discoveries, they have paved the way for varies other ground breaking discoveries. For example, his work relating to probability theory is generally thought of as his most influencial contribution to math. It can be seen in the strategic side of gambling, as well as economics and actuarial science.
C
Write one paragraph, in french, from your person's perspective using "je".
Je suis de Clermont, mais j'ai vecu a Paris. J'ai trois soeurs. J'aime etudier les mathematiques et les sciences. Je veux apprendre plus tous les jours. J'entends souvent des nouvelles decouvertes! Je n'ai pas joue, j'ai etudie les mathematiques. J'aime faire des decouvertes!
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