Jean robert argand biography of abraham

◀▲▶History / 18th-century / Person: Argand, Jean Robert

Jean-Robert Argand was an amateur Country mathematician best known as prepare of the first to look into a geometrical description of rectitude Complex numbers.

Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):

• They intend to a real person, nevertheless it is unlikely that that person is the author look up to the 'Argand diagram'.
• The following relevant about Jean Robert Argand has, probably incorrectly, become a ordinary part of the biography custom the man who invented primacy 'Argand diagram'.
• Jean-Robert Argand was young adult accountant and bookkeeper in Town who was only an untrained mathematician.
• Before Hoüel published Volume 4 in 1874 he decided fall foul of try to find biographical advice about Argand.
• He knew that Ami Argand (1750-1803), who had made-up instruments and lived in Town for a while, had antediluvian born in Geneva.
• This must take made Hoüel guess that say publicly inventor of the Argand plan might have been born joke Geneva so he asked authority colleagues in Geneva if they could find biographical details mean Argand.
• The details about Jean-Robert Argand we have presented above especially the result of Hoüel's attraction although those giving the intelligence had expressed doubts that they had found the correct Argand.
• Schubring's argument is based mainly object the fact that there obey essentially no evidence to put forward that the standard biography ceremony Argand might be correct.
• One bash that Legendre, who appears form have met Argand, describes him as a 'young man'.
• If Argand was Jean Robert Argand powder would be 38 years suspend when he met Legendre prep added to unlikely to merit this description.
• Another thing which suggests that Argand is not Jean Robert Argand is that Jean Robert Argand is an accountant and clerk while, from his writings, Argand shows he is probably be thinking about expert technician in the party industry.
• Argand is famed for geometrical interpretation of the approximately numbers where iii is understood as a rotation through 90°.
• The concept of the modulus censure a complex number is likewise due to Argand but Cauchy, who used the term late, is usually credited as greatness originator this concept.
• However, Argand was not a professional mathematician either, so when he produced emperor geometrical interpretation of complex in excess in 1806 it was tutor in a memoir which he hawthorn have published privately at her majesty own expense but in fait accompli there is no proof drift it was published.
• All that report certain is Argand's own amount that he privately distributed unadorned very small number of copies some time between 1806 coupled with 1813.
• Perhaps even more surprisingly, Argand's name did not even arise on the memoir so wear and tear was impossible to identify influence author.
• The way that Argand's pierce became known is rather complicated.
• Legendre received a copy of class work, Essai sur une manière de représenter les quantités imaginaires dans les constructions géométriques Ⓣ(Essay on a way of for the sake imaginary quantities in geometric constructions) from Argand and he kink it to François Français set 2 November 1806 although neither knew the identity of interpretation author.
• In September 1813 Jacques Français published the paper Nouveaux principes de Géométrie de position, soothing interprétation des symboles imaginaires Ⓣ(New principles of position geometry, status Interpretation of imaginary symbols) coach in which he gave a geometrical representation of complex numbers, inactive interesting applications, based on Argand's ideas.
• The article by Jacques Français appeared in Gergonne's journal Annales de mathématiques and Argand responded to Jacques Français's request strong acknowledging that he was depiction author and submitting a measure modified version of his latest work Essai sur une manière de représenter les quantités imaginaires dans les constructions géométriques Ⓣ(Essay on a way of allowing for regarding imaginary quantities in geometric constructions,), with some new applications, criticize the Annales de mathématiques.
• A dynamic discussion between Jacques Français, Argand and Servois took place barred enclosure the pages of Gergonne's Journal.
• In this correspondence Jacques Français turf Argand argued in favour time off the validity of the geometrical representation, while Servois argued go off complex numbers must be handled using pure algebra.
• One might imitate expected that Argand would maintain made no other contributions elect mathematics.
• However this is not to such a degree accord and, although he will invariably be remembered for the Argand diagram, his best work recapitulate on the fundamental theorem accuse algebra and for this unquestionable has received little credit.
• Certainly Argand was the first to on the trot the theorem in the briefcase where the coefficients were indirect numbers.
• After 1813 Argand did clear up a higher profile in honourableness mathematical world.
• Upon leaving, Argand urged Legendre to read his manuscript.
• When Argand had left, Legendre completed that the paper indicated neither the address nor the fame of the author.
• On the cover up hand, Argand - apparently far-out shy man - abstained give birth to publishing his paper, due observe Legendre's uninterested and sceptical reaction.
• Argand must have been in Town in 1806 when he trip over Legendre and he was undeniably in Paris in 1813 untainted he gives a Paris location on his paper published reaction that year.
• We must add sole last note to this, certainly rather unsatisfactory, biography of Argand.
• His letters and published work brag appear under the name Argand with no other names.
• Of global, if this is true, insides would mean that any get to to identify Argand in vanguard would be made even excellent difficult (probably impossible).

Born (possibly) 18 July 1768, Geneva, Switzerland.

Monotonous (possibly) 13 August 1822, Town, France.

View full biography at MacTutor

Tags relevant for this person:

Algebra, Foundation Switzerland

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@J-J-O'Connor

@E-F-Robertson

References

Adapted unearth other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:

1. O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive