Baron Augustin Cauchy 1789-1857

1789. Born in Paris on August 21st, the son of a parliamentary lawyer and lieutenant of police.

1791. Moved to country house at Arcueil to escape the Terror. Educated by father Met Laplace who recognised his mathematical prowess.

1800. Father elected secretary of the senate. Cauchy shared office with him where he met Lagrange.

1802. Entered the Central School of the Pantheón.

1804. Left School to study maths with a private tutor.

1805. Entered the Polytechnique.

1807. Entered the civil engineering schools Ponts et Chaussees.

1810. Graduated and went to Cherbourg on a commission as military engineer to build fortifications against the British.

1813. Returned to Paris.

1815. Started lecturing on analysis at the Polytechnique.

1816. Took seat in the Paris Academy after Monge was politically expelled. Promoted to professor of mathematics at the Polytechnique, College de France and the Sorbonne.

1818. Married Aloise de Bure who bore him two daughters.

1830. Exiled to Turin after the revolution. Took post of professor of mathematical physics.

1833. Entrusted with education of the deposed Charles X's heir, the Comte de Chambord, in Prague.

1838. Returned to Paris.

1857. Died in Sceaux on May 15th.

Mathematics

• Created theory of functions of complex variables.

• Definitive account of determinants.

• Developed Lagrange's and Galois' ideas of group theory.

• Important work also on partial differential equations, wave theory of light and mathematics of elasticity.

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Mathematical Biographies
Jeremy Dittmer
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