Mathematician:Antoine Gombaud

Mathematician

French gambler, writer, philosopher and amateur mathematician best known for his work in probability theory.

Nationality

French

History

• Born: 1607, Poitou, France
• Died: December 29, 1684

Theorems and Definitions

• De Méré's Paradox

Results named for Antoine Gombaud can be found here.

Publications

• L'honnête homme (The Honest Man)
• Discours de la vraie honnêteté (Discourse on True Honesty)

Critical View

The Chevalier de Méré was described by Blaise Pascal as having:

a very good mind but no mathematics.

Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz described him as having a penetrating mind, and being a philosopher and a gambler.

Also known as

Full name and title: Antoine Gombaud, Chevalier de Méré.

Usually referred to as the Chevalier de Méré.

Sources

• 1937: Eric Temple Bell: Men of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text{V}$: "Greatness and Misery of Man"