Michel Rolle was a French mathematician, born at Ambert in Auvergne on 21 April 1652 and dying in Paris on 8 November 1719, best known for Rolle's theorem of 1691. The son of a shopkeeper, he had only an elementary education and taught himself algebra and Diophantine analysis, working as a transcriber for notaries until, in 1682, his elegant solution of a difficult problem in Diophantine analysis brought him patronage and a place at the Académie des Sciences. His most important work, the Traité d'algèbre of 1690, fixed the notation for the nth root of a real number, proved a polynomial version of the theorem that bears his name and gave the first published European description of Gaussian elimination, which he called the method of substitution. He was an early and vocal critic of the infinitesimal calculus, though later he changed his opinion.
Facts
Connections
In Branch
Source Michel Rolle (Wikipedia)
Source Michel Rolle (Wikipedia)
Source Michel Rolle (Wikipedia)
Principal Result
Source Michel Rolle (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Michel Rolle (Wikipedia)Lead, nationalityQuote, Lead, nationality
Michel Rolle (21 April 1652 – 8 November 1719) was a French mathematician.
Sources
1. MacTutor History of Mathematics: Michel Rolle biography
MacTutor History of MathematicsBiography, birth
to content MacTutor Home Biographies History Topics Map Curves Search Michel Rolle Quick Info Born 21 April 1652 Ambert, Basse-Auvergne, France Died 8 November 1719 Paris, France Summary Michel Rolle was a French mathematician best known for the so-called
Biography, gender
He worked as a transcriber for a notary and then as an assistant to several attorneys in the district around his home town of Ambert.
View the Source Michel Rolle (Wikipedia)
Lead, nationality
Michel Rolle (21 April 1652-8 November 1719) was a French mathematician.
In Branch: Algebra, Lead, field of work
While Rolle's forte was always Diophantine analysis, his most important work was a book on the algebra of equations, called Traité d'algèbre, published in 1690.
In Branch: Calculus, Lead, field of work
Rolle is best known for Rolle's theorem in differential calculus.
In Branch: Number Theory, Lead, field of work
In spite of his financial problems and minimal education, Rolle studied algebra and Diophantine analysis (a branch of number theory) on his own.
Principal Result: Rolle's Theorem, Lead, principal result
He is best known for Rolle's theorem (1691).
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.