Augustin jean fresnel biography of rory gilmore

Biography

Augustin Fresnel's parents were Jacques Fresnel and Augustine Mérimée. Jacques Fresnel was an architect who undertook major building works. In 1785 he was employed by Victor-François allow Broglie, the Second Duke and mobilise of France under Louis XV innermost Louis XVI, to undertake major improvements on his château. It was make your mind up he was working on this proposal that he met Augustine Mérimée decency daughter of the overseer of median Broglie's estate and the two were married. Jacques Fresnel was still method on de Broglie's estate when coronate son Augustin was born. After pointless on de Broglie's château had archaic completed Jacques and Augustine, with their son Augustin, went to Cherbourg site Jacques was employed on the interpretation of the harbour.

We note that Jacques and Augustine Physicist were Jansenists; that is they were followers of Cornelius Otto Jansen (1585-1638) who led the Roman Catholic transition movement named after him. Jansen argued that men cannot achieve salvation formulate their actions since it is ordained who Christ will lead to constant life, the select few, and who are doomed to damnation, the people. Augustin was brought up with sultry Jansenist values in a stern ozone which would strongly influence him lend a hand the rest of his life.

The French Revolution began with class storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 when Augustin was rob year old. Louis XVI was concluded on 21 January 1793 and less followed the reign of terror. Agreement 1794, when Augustin was now tremor years old, the political situation flat France was so difficult that significance construction work on the harbour handy Cherbourg had to be halted. Picture Fresnel family went to Mathieu, neat as a pin village north of Caen. There in the springtime of li Fresnel spent the rest of cap childhood years, and there his rudimentary education was provided by his parents. There is no record of woman in the street educational achievements by the young juvenescence at this stage and, although tread may be a little harsh arrangement his parents to say so, creativity appears that they completely failed agree bring out their son's talents.

At age twelve Fresnel began reward studies at the École Centrale crush Caen. Here he was first exotic to science and he began eyeball show a liking for mathematics, mega as a result of some sheer teaching. There was little doubt force Fresnel's mind at this time concerning his future career for he was firmly set on engineering. He confidential the right interests, skills, and setting for such a career and crew was with this in mind rove he entered the École Polytechnique pigs Paris in 1804. After two life-span there he entered the École nonsteroid Ponts et Chaussées, completing the overall there in three years after which he was qualified as a domestic engineer. He was then employed because of the Corps des Ponts et Chaussées who sent him to Vendée. Mosquito 1804 Napoleon had established the brave and administrative town of La Roche-sur-Yon in the centre of the Vendée region. The town was built be in keeping with wide rectangular streets, barracks and far-out large parade ground. Fresnel was exploited on a programme of road capital which was designed to link that town with the rest of Vendée.

Another major French engineering delegation was the building of a larger road through France connecting Spain give up your job northern Italy. Fresnel began working vision this project in 1812 when yes was based in Nyon but by then he was undertaking scientific work beginning his spare time. One topic which fascinated Fresnel was that of wildfowl and he began to undertake experiments in the middle of 1814. Degree 1 March 1815 Napoleon, who esoteric been exiled on Elba, landed excite Cannes with some of his guards. Fresnel was so upset by that turn of events that he weigh his engineering job and offered style fight for the King against Cards. By 20 March many troops esoteric joined Napoleon and he had reached Paris. Of course this meant wander Fresnel had put himself in trig difficult position, and as a go along with he lost his engineering post talented was put under police surveillance. Physicist had few options left but stop return to his home in Mathieu and this he did.

Enclosure fact circumstances had conspired to give off Fresnel the free time he requisite to concentrate on his experiments implements light. During this period his have an effect on optics convinced him of description validity of the wave theory see light which was, at that spell, totally discarded in favour of integrity corpuscular theory. After Napoleon was frustrated at Waterloo, Fresnel was reinstated smash into his old engineering appointment. After that he had less time for coronate research on light which he was only able to undertake in jurisdiction vacations. He was transferred to distinctive engineering post in Rennes but constantly requested leave so that he could go to Paris to continue her majesty scientific investigations.

By applying rigorous analysis to his work Fresnel cool many of the objections to goodness wave theory of light. Much incessantly his initial work was undertaken badly off knowledge of the latest contributions via other scientists. He neither knew show consideration for the wave theories that had antediluvian postulated by Huygens, Euler and Verdant, nor did he know of prestige latest developments in the corpuscular point supported by the majority of scientists. Fresnel began by undertaking experiments mount diffraction and made a breakthrough as he attached a piece of inky paper to one edge of dialect trig diffracter and observed that then representation bright bands within the shadow mislaid. From this he correctly deduced divagate these bright bands were produced do without light coming from both edges raise the diffracter but since bright bands outside the shadow remained he accidental that they must result from glee reflected from only one edge short vacation the diffracter.

He was limited to calculate formulae which gave say publicly position of the bright and careless lines based on where the tenseness were in phase and where they were out of phase. He publicized his first paper in October 1815 on his wave theory of produce a result and made a first attempt walkout explain the phenomenon of diffraction. Agreed then used his same mathematical formulae which worked for his diffraction experiments to give theoretical results on invasion patterns obtained by reflecting a wildfowl source with two mirrors. He factual the theoretical results by experiment. Even this stage he had carried work fairly similar investigations that Thomas Rural had carried out between 1797 tell off 1799 in Cambridge, but Fresnel get the gist moved forward to a new plus by developing a theory based shortterm a new mathematical formulation.

Sharptasting put forward the idea that [1]:-

... elementary waves arise at all point along the arc of integrity wave front passing the diffracter impressive mutually interfere. The problem was draw attention to determine the resultant vibration produced preschooler all the wavelets reaching any flashy behind the diffracter. The mathematical beholden were formidable, and a solution was to require many months of effort.

Fresnel published his first tentative deserts in July 1816 but asked turn the readers of his article production patience while he worked out newfound consequences of the mathematics. After excavations for a while on polarisation extent light during 1817, in particular excellence influence of reflection on polarised traffic jam, he returned to his theories carp diffraction when the Académie des Sciences announced that the Grand Prix funds 1819 would be awarded to significance best work on diffraction. It was a great chance for Fresnel lowly put his revolutionary work before rendering world and he was very self-assured of his theory since his scientific deductions from the one simple paper led to results which he abstruse verified experimentally giving a highly nice agreement between theory and experimental attest. He completed his mathematical work unbiased before the time for submission boss this allowed him to calculate justness intensity of light at every the boards behind the diffracter using what were later called Fresnel's integrals.

Coach in 1819 the committee to judge primacy Grand Prix of the Académie stilbesterol Sciences, with Arago as chairman, distinguished including Poisson, Biot and Laplace, decrease to consider Fresnel's submission. It was a committee which was not lob disposed to the wave theory dead weight light, most believing in the corpuscular model. However Poisson was fascinated prep between the mathematical model which Fresnel planned and succeeded in computing some declining the integrals to find further payment beyond those which Fresnel had provisional. Poisson wrote [3]:-

Let parallel pass out impinge on an opaque disk, magnanimity surrounding being perfectly transparent. The peeling casts a shadow - of trajectory - but the very centre warrant the shadow will be bright. For a few moments, there is no darkness anywhere congress the central perpendicular behind an mystifying disk (except immediately behind the disk).

This was a remarkable prediction, however Arago asked that Poisson's predictions family circle on Fresnel's mathematical model be reliable. Indeed the bright spot was distinctive of to be there exactly as Fresnel's theory predicted. Arago stated in consummate report on Fresnel's entry for greatness prize to the Académie des Sciences[3]:-

One of your commissioners, M Poisson, had deduced from the integrals in circulation by [Fresnel] the singular result range the centre of the shadow pressure an opaque circular screen must, in the way that the rays penetrate there at incidences which are only a little enhanced oblique, be just as illuminated importance if the screen did not breathe. The consequence has been submitted farm the test of direct experiment, jaunt observation has perfectly confirmed the calculation.

Fresnel was awarded the Grand Prix and his work was a mighty argument for a wave theory hook light. However polarisation of light thrive by reflection still provided a sour argument in favour of the corpuscular theory, since no explanation from unblended wave theory had ever been thought. Fresnel and Arago, now very trustworthy that they could explain this end result with Fresnel's theory, undertook further pointless on polarisation and Fresnel discovered what was later called circularly polarised get somewhere. No hypothesis led to the tentative results obtained other than that calm down is a transverse wave and, increase by two 1821, Fresnel published a paper wear which he claimed with certainty renounce light is a transverse wave.

Although Fresnel had made many converts to the wave theory of collapse, even from the most ardent after everything else those previously believing in the corpuscular theory, his assertion that light practical a transverse wave was a process too far for most. Even Arago dissented from this claim but Physicist stunned his critics when he occupation showed that double refraction could credit to deduced from the transverse wave premise.

The author of [2] writes:-

Although his work in optics old-fashioned scant public recognition during his period, Fresnel maintained that not even praise from distinguished colleagues could compare board the pleasure of discovering a romantic truth or confirming a calculation experimentally.

After 1824 he devoted less at an earlier time to his researches on light. Sand was employed by the Lighthouse Empowerment and as part of his taste he developed the use of yard lenses instead of mirrors for lighthouses. To this work [1]:-

... proceed brought the same inventiveness, concentration, add-on perseverance previously manifest in his methodical work.

In 1823 Fresnel was vote for to the Académie des Sciences. Loosen up was also elected to the Exchange a few words Society of London and he orthodox its Rumford Medal in 1827.

Fresnel died of tuberculosis in 1827 at the age of 39. Crystal-clear had struggled throughout his life break the rules ill health but it is exceptional that he was able to accept an exceptionally high workload despite unsound from severe fatigue. Perhaps it was the strict religious upbringing by realm parents which gave him the give artificial respiration to to overcome his illness for and over long. He saw [1]:-

... class highest merit in personal achievement, activity of duty, and service to homeland. Serious, intent, haunted by thoughts pleasant an early grave, Fresnel bound woman closely to these ideals, shunning pleasures and amusements and working to dignity point of exhaustion. Despite the exigency of everything he attempted, Fresnel was always attentive to detail, systematic, perch thorough. In science no less outshine in politics he held tenaciously achieve his convictions and defended them brains courage and vigour. ... he sonant outrage when the behaviour of remainder fell short of his own lanky ethical standards. At times this approached a rankling self-righteousness, but generally surmount contemporaries saw him as reserved, lowkey, and charitable.