Maria Angela Ardinghelli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Angela Ardinghelli
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Portrait medallion by Jean-Jacques Caffieri (1755). Archives de l’Académie des Sciences, Paris. © Académie des Sciences—Institut de France
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| Born | 1730 |
| Died | 1825 (aged 94–95) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Known for | Expert in mathematical physics, Italian translation of the works of Stephen Hales |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics, Physics |
| Patrons | Jean-Antoine Nollet |
| Influences | Pietro Della Torre and Vito Caravelli |
| Influenced |
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Maria Angela Ardinghelli (1730–1825) was a smart Italian woman. She was a translator, mathematician, and physicist. She came from a noble family. Maria is best known for translating the books of Stephen Hales. He was an English scientist who studied how bodies and plants work. She translated his two main books: Haemastaticks and Vegetable Staticks. Maria was very clever about sharing her work. She made sure her ideas reached the right people. This helped her stay important without facing problems from society.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Maria Angela Ardinghelli was born in Naples in 1730. Naples was then part of the Kingdom of Naples. Her family was noble and originally from Florence. Maria became an only child after her brother passed away.
Her father decided to educate her himself. By the time she was fourteen, Maria could speak Latin very well. She studied philosophy and mathematical physics. Her teachers were famous scientists like Giovanni Maria Della Torre and Vito Caravelli. She also learned to speak English and French.
Maria's family was very old and respected. They were from Florence, but they moved to Naples. This happened when the Medici family became powerful in Tuscany.
A Life in Science
Maria Angela was a talented poet and knew Latin well. She was also an expert in mathematical physics. This was common for noble women of her time. She was part of a special group in Naples. This group was interested in Newton's ideas. They also studied experimental physics and electricity. Maria used their large library and laboratory often.
Maria loved Naples and never wanted to leave. She turned down a marriage proposal from a French architect. She also refused to become a science tutor for royal princesses in Versailles. She stayed in Naples and hosted many conversazioni. These were meetings for scientists and travelers. She also wrote letters to the Paris Academy of Sciences.
Maria acted as a link between scientists in Naples and France. She connected the two scientific communities. When she became very well known, Maria chose to keep some of her work private. She shared only certain parts with specific people. This helped her avoid social isolation.
Maria Ardinghelli and Jean-Antoine Nollet
Maria Angela became famous thanks to a French scientist named abbé Jean-Antoine Nollet. He was a member of the Paris Academy of Sciences. Nollet met Maria at one of her conversazioni in Naples in 1749.
Nollet was a very famous scientist. He wrote a book about electricity. In this book, he needed to defend his ideas against those of Benjamin Franklin. Nollet wrote nine letters to nine important physicists. The very first letter was to Maria Ardinghelli. In his letter, he praised her translation of Hales's Haemastaticks. He called her a "very virtuous young lady" who had made "a lot of progress in the field of physics." This public praise made Maria Ardinghelli widely known.
Key Accomplishments
Maria Angela Ardinghelli was an expert in mathematical physics. Her greatest fame came from translating important books by the English physicist Stephen Hales. She translated his works Haemastaticks and Vegetable Staticks. She also did her own science experiments inspired by Hales's ideas.
Maria was known for connecting foreign scientists and naturalists visiting Italy. This role helped her meet Jean-Antoine Nollet. He then made her an informal correspondent for the Paris Academy of Sciences. This job allowed her to link the scientific communities of France and Naples.
In her translations, Maria did more than just add footnotes. She wrote special sections like the "dedication" and "To the Reader." In these parts, she shared her thoughts with people from higher social classes. She also wrote letters to leading scientists of her time. These included the mathematician and physicist Alexis Claude Clairaut and Jean-Antoine Nollet.
See also
In Spanish: Maria Angela Ardinghelli para niños
