Giovanni Plana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Giovanni Antonio Amedeo Plana
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| Born | 6 November 1781 Voghera, Sardinia-Piedmont
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| Died | 20 January 1864 (aged 82) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Alma mater | École Polytechnique |
| Awards | Copley Medal (1834) Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1840) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy Mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Turin |
| Academic advisors | Joseph-Louis Lagrange Joseph Fourier |
Giovanni Antonio Amedeo Plana (born November 6, 1781 – died January 20, 1864) was a very important Italian astronomer and mathematician. Many people thought he was one of the best Italian scientists of his time.
A crater on the Moon is named Plana in his honor.
Contents
Plana's Early Life and Education
Giovanni Plana was born in Voghera, Italy. His parents were Antonio Maria Plana and Giovanna Giacoboni. When he was 15 years old, he moved to Grenoble to live with his uncles. This is where he finished his schooling.
In 1800, he joined a famous school called the École Polytechnique. There, he was a student of Joseph-Louis Lagrange, a very well-known mathematician. Another important scientist, Joseph Fourier, was very impressed by Plana's skills.
Plana's Career and Discoveries
Because of Joseph Fourier's help, Plana became a professor of mathematics in Piedmont in 1803. This area later came under French control. In 1811, he became a professor of astronomy at the University of Turin. This happened thanks to the influence of his former teacher, Lagrange. Plana taught at the University of Turin for the rest of his life.
Plana studied many different things. He worked on how the Moon moves in space. He also studied complex math topics like integrals and elliptic functions. He even looked into heat, electrostatics (which is about electricity that doesn't move), and geodesy (the science of measuring Earth's shape).
In 1820, Plana won a prize from a science group in Paris. He won it for creating special tables that showed the Moon's movements using the law of gravity. In 1832, he published a big book called Théorie du mouvement de la lune. This book was all about the Moon's motion. In the same year, he became an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Awards and Honors
Plana received many awards for his work. In 1834, the Royal Society gave him the Copley Medal. This was for his important studies on the Moon's motion.
In 1840, Charles Babbage, who is known as a computer pioneer, visited Turin. Plana had invited him. Plana later became the royal astronomer. In 1844, he was given the title of a Baron. When he was 80 years old, he became a member of the very respected Académie des Sciences. Giovanni Plana passed away in Turin.
Plana's Published Works
One of Plana's most famous works was his book about the Moon's movement. It was a very detailed study that helped scientists understand the Moon better.
