Darboux, the geometer who expanded the study of surfaces | Tangente

Darboux, who expanded the study of surfaces

The Institut Henri Poincaré hosted an exhibition entitled "The Depth of Surfaces," devoted to the mathematician Gaston Darboux. Its scientific curator was Barnabé Croizat, a specialist in this great French geometer.

Written by

Norbert Verdier

PublishedApril 11, 2019UpdatedMay 16, 20261 min read

Darboux, who expanded the study of surfaces

After completing his science preparatory course at the lycée Pierre-Corneille in Rouen (Seine-Maritime), Barnabé Croizat studied at three different institutions: the École nationale des ponts et chaussées, then the École normale supérieure de Cachan, where he prepared for the agrégation in mathematics, and finally the École polytechnique de Montréal in Quebec. Returning to France, he completed a PhD in the history of mathematics in Lille (Nord), on Gaston Darboux and available online. His main aim was to explore the scientific work of the first part of the great French geometer's life and understand it in light of the intertwined strands of his career—first as a student, then as a professor and journal editor. His profound knowledge of Darboux's life naturally led him to curate the exhibition "The Depth of Surfaces," held at the Institut Henri Poincaré (IHP) from October 24 to December 21, 2018.

Exhibition opening, October 23, 2018.

N.V.: How did Gaston Darboux begin his career?

He was born in Nîmes (Gard) in 1842 and studied at the city's lycée impérial, now the lycée professionnel Alphonse-Daudet. Note that the lycée professionnel Gaston-Darboux, also in Nîmes, is not the school he attended…

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