Augustin-Louis Cauchy: A Biography

Description

A great difficulty facing a biographer of Cauchy is that of delineating the curious interplay between the man, his times, and his scientific endeavors. Professor Belhoste has succeeded admirably in meeting this challenge and has thus written a vivid biography that is both readable and informative. His subject stands out as one of the most brilliant, versatile, and prolific fig ures in the annals of science. Nearly two hundred years have now passed since the young Cauchy set about his task of clarifying mathematics, extending it, applying it wherever possible, and placing it on a firm theoretical footing. Through Belhoste's work we are afforded a detailed, rather personalized picture of how a first rate mathematician worked at his discipline - his strivings, his inspirations, his triumphs, his failures, and above all, his conflicts and his errors.

**

This book is a full-length biography of Cauchy telling the story of his life and work in six chapters, interspersed with five chapters of "themes'' recounting in some detail Cauchy's work in several areas. The photographic reproductions of portraits (including an actual photograph of Cauchy) are splendid and justify all by themselves the purchase of the book. In addition the detail of Cauchy's personal and professional life is quite readable.

Reviewed by R. L. Cooke

Catholic Encyclopedia entry on him

his MacTutor biography

his Dictionary of Scientific Biography entry

p. 64 (PDF p. 76) discusses his Note sur l'intégration des équations aux différences partielles du premier ordre à un nombre quelconque de variables , where he introduces the "method of characteristics":

Cauchy gave also the first general method for solving first-order partial differential equations, now called Cauchy's method of characteristics. He presented a paper on this matter to the Académie on December 21, 1818

from p. viii, Cauchy's 1842 quote on truth:

Truth is a priceless treasure which, whenever we manage to acquire it, cannot bring us remorse and sorrow; it cannot disquiet and distress our soul. The mere thought of its heavenly attributes, of its divine beauty suffices to replenish us for all the sacrifices we may have made in discovering it. Indeed, the joy of heaven itself is but the full and complete possession of immortal truth.