Madame Du Chatelet

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Madame du Chatelet

In a society where nobility disliked the notion of education for their daughters arose one of the great mathematicians of the eighteenth century, Frenchwoman, Emilie du Chatelet. Born in Paris December 17, 1706, she grew up in a household where the art of courting was the only way one could mold a place in society. During her early childhood, Emilie began to show such promise in the area of academics that soon she was able to convince her father that she needed attention. Provided with a relatively good education for the time, she studied and soon mastered Latin, Italian and English.

In spite of her talents in the area of languages, her true love was mathematics. Her study in this area was encouraged by a family friend, M.de Mezieres, who recognized the young lady’s talent. Emilie’s work in mathematics was rarely original or as captivating as that of other female mathematicians but it was substantive. The fact that it was accomplished in the first place is in it self remarkable.

Emilie not only refused to give up mathematics but she engaged the best known tutors to help her in her study. She also conquered the heart of Voltaire, one of the most intriguing and brilliant scholars of this time. Some of Emilie’s most significant work came from the period she spent with Voltaire at Cirey-sur-Blaise. For the two scholars this was a safe and quiet haven distant from the turbulence of Paris and court life. As Voltaire notes “We long employed all our attention and powers upon Leibniz and Newton; Mme du Chatelet attached herself first to

Leibniz, and explained one part of his system in a book exceedingly well written, entitled Institutions de physique” (1,p.56). However she soon abandoned the work of Leibniz and applied herself to the discoveries of the great Newton. She was extremely successful in translating his whole book of principals of mathematics into French. She also ...