Pierre Raymond de Montmort
Encyclopedia
Pierre Rémond de Montmort, a French
mathematician
, was born in Paris
on 27 October 1678, and died there on 7 October 1719. His name was originally just Pierre Rémond or Raymond. His father pressured him to study law, but he rebelled and travelled to England and Germany, returning to France in 1699 when, upon receiving a large inheritance from his father, he bought an estate and took the name de Montmort. He was friendly with several other notable mathematicians, and especially Nicholas Bernoulli
, who collaborated with him while visiting his estate. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society
in 1715, while traveling again to England, and became a member of the French Academy of Sciences
in 1716.
De Montmort is known for his book on probability
and games of chance, which was also the first to introduce the combinatorial
study of derangement
s. He is also known for naming Pascal's triangle
after Blaise Pascal
, calling it "Table de M. Pascal pour les combinaisons."
Another of de Montmort's interests was the subject of finite differences. He determined in 1713 the sum of n terms of a finite series of the form
where Δ is the forward difference operator, a theorem which seems to have been independently rediscovered by Goldbach
in 1718.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 27 October 1678, and died there on 7 October 1719. His name was originally just Pierre Rémond or Raymond. His father pressured him to study law, but he rebelled and travelled to England and Germany, returning to France in 1699 when, upon receiving a large inheritance from his father, he bought an estate and took the name de Montmort. He was friendly with several other notable mathematicians, and especially Nicholas Bernoulli
Nicolaus I Bernoulli
Nicolaus Bernoulli , was a Swiss mathematician and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family....
, who collaborated with him while visiting his estate. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1715, while traveling again to England, and became a member of the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
in 1716.
De Montmort is known for his book on probability
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
and games of chance, which was also the first to introduce the combinatorial
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
study of derangement
Derangement
In combinatorial mathematics, a derangement is a permutation of the elements of a set such that none of the elements appear in their original position....
s. He is also known for naming Pascal's triangle
Pascal's triangle
In mathematics, Pascal's triangle is a triangular array of the binomial coefficients in a triangle. It is named after the French mathematician, Blaise Pascal...
after Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal , was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen...
, calling it "Table de M. Pascal pour les combinaisons."
Another of de Montmort's interests was the subject of finite differences. He determined in 1713 the sum of n terms of a finite series of the form
where Δ is the forward difference operator, a theorem which seems to have been independently rediscovered by Goldbach
Christian Goldbach
Christian Goldbach was a German mathematician who also studied law. He is remembered today for Goldbach's conjecture.-Biography:...
in 1718.
Selected publications
- de Montmort, P. R. (1708). Essay d'analyse sur les jeux de hazard. Paris: Jacque Quillau. Seconde Edition, Revue & augmentée de plusieurs Lettres. Paris: Jacque Quillau. 1713.
External links
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source.