Jean Dhombres
6 articles published in Tangente
History and CultureN°221Dec 17, 2024Condorcet judged by his peers
Condorcet always took an interest in analysis, but accounts and assessments of his mathematical work varied widely. Although he bounced back after the Académie’s unfavorable judgment of his first paper, the 19th century proved much harsher.
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History and CultureN°88Nov 21, 2023A pedagogical interest in transmitting knowledge
An exceptional scientist, Laplace was also a driving force behind the development of education at the highest level, helping to devise curricula and concerned that mathematics teaching should not be detached from philosophical reflection.
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Math for everyoneN°88Nov 20, 2023Laplace's many functions
In his scientific work, Laplace introduced and used numerous mathematical functions. Alongside the Laplacian and the Laplace transform, we find generating functions and the potential function.
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Math for everyoneN°88Nov 20, 2023Probability and its metaphysics
When Laplace took up a seat in the Senate, he thought his active involvement in science was effectively over. Yet he went on to state a fundamental law of probability theory, before exploring the philosophical implications of his findings in this emerging new science.
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History and CultureN°88Nov 20, 2023A role in Napoleon's deposition
Laplace the scientist, but also Laplace the politician: on March 31, 1814, Paris surrendered as coalition forces reached its gates. Raised to the highest honors by the emperor, Laplace hesitated over signing Napoleon's deposition. Let's follow his inner struggle.
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History and CultureN°170May 10, 2016From Euclid to Bourbaki: perpetual reform
Mathematics has undergone waves of reform in the past, is undergoing them now, and will continue to do so. This applies to schools of mathematical thought and major research movements, but also to elementary mathematics—the mathematics taught in secondary schools in most countries around the world.
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