Duhem

Pierre Maurice Marie Duhem

Born: 10 June 1861 in Paris, France
Died: 14 Sept 1916 in Cabrespine, France

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Pierre Duhem studied at the Collège Stanislas and the École Normale Supérieure and then taught at Lille and Rennes. He became professor of theoretical physics at the University of Bordeaux in 1894.

Duhem had a wide variety of mathematical interests from mechanics and physics to philosophy and the history of mathematics. He studied magnetism following the work of Gibbs and Helmholtz. He also worked on thermodynamics and hydrodynamics producing over 400 papers. His most famous works include Études sur Léonard de Vinci (1906-13) and La Théorie physique, son objet et sa structure (1906).

In 1913 he began publication of Le Système du monde, Histoire des doctrines cosmologiques, de Platon à Copernic (1913-17) but only 5 of the intended 10 volumes were written before his death.

References:

  1. Biography in Encyclopaedia Britannica BinEB
  2. P Brouzeng, Duhem, 1861-1916 : science et providence (Paris- Berlin, 1987).
  3. R N D Martin, Pierre Duhem : philosophy and history in the work of a believing physicist (1991).
  4. S L Jaki, Uneasy genius : the life and work of Pierre Duhem (1984).
  5. O Manville, L'oeuvre scientifique de Pierre Duhem (Paris, 1928).
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JOC/EFR February 1996