Blaine Pascal

By: Tyler Lantz & Megan Howell Born on June 19, 1623 Born in Clermont- Ferrand, France He was a french mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, & catholic philosopher Pascal was educated by his father, Etienne Pascal & lost his mother Antoinette Begon at the age of three. He had two sisters, Jacqueline & Gilberte Pascal's Younger Years

At a young age pascal was very interested in math & science. At eleven his father did not allow him to pursue math until he was fifteen so it did not interfere with the study of Latin &Greek. When he was twelve his father caught him wanting a theory that the sum of the angles of a triangle is equal to two right triangles & from then on he was allowed to study Euclid. Religion

In 1646 Pascal's father After his father's was confined to his death, Pascal's sister house due to injury. joined the Jansenists Neighbors who were at their convent in Jansenists would visit Port Royal. In 1654, him and shortly after after living a more the Pascals began to wild lifestyle, Pascal adopt the Jansenists completely converted beliefs. to Jansenism and joined the convent.

Jansenists were a religious group formed by Cornelius Jansen. The beliefs were very different from the Jesuits which were the most influential group of the time.

Pascal's Triangle Traite du Triangle Arithmetique

In 1653 Pascal described a convenient tabular presentation for binomial coefficients, which is now called Pascal's Triangle. Pascal's Triangle can also be represented by:

Each number is the sum of the two directly above it. The triangle demonstrates many mathematical properties in addition to showing binomial coefficients. Pascal's Theorum

At sixteen, Pascal produced a short essay or theory on what was called the 'Mystic Hexagram'. It was his first serious piece of work and he sent it to Pere Mersenne in Paris. It is still known today as Pascal's Theorum. It states that if a hexagon is inscribed in a circle then the three intersection points of Pascal's Theorum opposite sides lie on a line called the Pascal Line. Pascal's Law

Pascal started his work with natural and applied sciences and made many contributions to the study of fluids. Hydrostatic Fluid Acceler Height of Pressure Density ation due fluid above to the point of gravity. messureme nt.

In physical science the principle of transmission of fluid pressure better known as Pascal's Law states that pressure exerted anywhere in a confined in compressible fluid is transmitted equally in all directions through out the fluid so that the pressure ratio remains the same. Pascaline

When Pascal was Many of the just about 19 he later constructed a mechanical mechanical calculator calculator industries capable of branched addition and from the key subtraction to try machines and and help his inventions of father with his the Pascaline tax collections.

It was invented in 1642. The Pascaline was first released in Europe and then continued to spread all over the world. Pascal's work in the The Barometer fields of the study of Experiment hydrodynamics and hydrostatics centered on the principles of hydraulic fluids.

Pascal had learned of Evangelista Torricelli's experiment with barometers, and since most scientists of that time thought that vaccums were impossible Pascal saw that as an opprotunity to prove them wrong. The Barometer Experiment

Pascal's theory had a very detailed explanation on the rules describing to what degree various liquids could be supported by air pressure. To prove this he worked with his brother-in-law and conducted an experiment where he went to the lowest and highest points of elevation in the town. After his brother-in-law conducted that many times Pascal replicated the experiment by observing the change in pressure from the ground to the top of a bell tower.

After finishing his research and numerous experiments he established the principle and value of the barometer. Some of Pascal's mathematical and scientific works were not published until after his death. One of his most famous works was:

The Pensées

This piece of work was an apology, or defence, for Christianity. Eight years later the Port Royal community published The Pensées without completely understanding what the document truely stated.

Other Facts about Blaise Pascal In France, annual awards, Blaise Pascal Chairs are given to outstanding international scientists to conduct their research in the a certain region of France. One of the Universities of Clermont- Ferrand, France - Universite Blaise Pascal- is named after him. The University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, holds an annual math contest named in his honour. The Pascal Contest is open to any student from around the world, who is fifteen years or under and is in grade nine or lower. Roberto Rossellini directed a filmed biopic (titled Blaise Pascal) which originally aired on Italian television in 1971. In 1662 Pascal moved to a hospital due to his illness getting worse. In Death Paris on August 18th, 1662 he went into convulsions and died the next morning at the age of 39. He was In 1659, Pascal became burried in the cementary of Saint- seriously ill. Throughout Etinne-du-mont. his last few years he rejected doctors and said "sickness is the natural state of Christianity".

Pascal's very last achievement was starting the first bus line, moving passengers within Paris in a carriage with numerous seats. Blaise Pascal's last words: "May God never abandon me"