Mathematician:Blaise Pascal

French mathematician and philosopher who explored probability theory and projective geometry.

Most famous for the construction now commonly known as Pascal's Triangle.

Nationality
French

History

 * Born: June 19, 1623, Clermont (now Clermont-Ferrand), Auvergne, France
 * Died: August 19, 1662, Paris, France

Theorems and Definitions

 * Pascal's Wager (employing probability theory to answer deep philosophical questions)
 * Pascal's Triangle
 * Pascal's Law (a physical law lying at the basis of hydrostatics)
 * Pascal's Rule
 * Pascal's Theorem (concerning a hexagon inscribed in a conic section)

Books and Papers

 * 1639: Essai pour les coniques
 * 1647: Experiences nouvelles touchant le vide
 * 1653: Traité du triangle arithmétique (in which Pascal's Triangle is discussed)
 * 1656–7: Lettres provinciales
 * 1657 or 1658: De l'Esprit géométrique
 * 1661: Écrit sur la signature du formulaire
 * Also: Pensées (incomplete at his death)

Also see

 * : Chapter $\text{V}$
 * : $1.1$: Historical Note
 * : Chapter $\text {A}.16$