Mathematician:Marin Mersenne

French theologian, philosopher, mathematician and music theorist.

Most famous for his work with Mersenne primes.

Claimed in 1644 that the only primes $p \le 257$ for which $2^p - 1$ is prime are $2, 3, 5, 7, 13, 17, 19, 31, 67, 127$ and $257$. Considering the tools he had at his disposal, he was uncannily accurate.

The first to determine the speed of sound in air.

Nationality
French

History

 * Born: September 8, 1588, Oizé in Maine, France
 * Died: September 1, 1648, Paris, France

Theorems and Definitions

 * Mersenne Number
 * Mersenne Prime

Books and Papers

 * 1623: L'usage de la raison
 * 1623: L'analyse de la vie spirituelle
 * 1624: Quaestiones celeberrime in genesim
 * 1626: Synopsis mathematica
 * 1627: L'harmonie universelle
 * 1634: Questions inouyes
 * 1634: Questions harmoniques
 * 1644: Cogitata Physico-Mathematica
 * 1651: L'optique et la catoptrique (posthumous)

Also see

 * , Chapter $\text {A}.12$