Maurice Lévy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maurice Lévy
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Maurice Lévy
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| Born | 28 February 1838 |
| Died | 30 September 1910 (aged 72) Paris, France
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| Alma mater | École Polytechnique |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Engineering |
Maurice Lévy (born February 28, 1838, in Ribeauvillé – died September 30, 1910, in Paris) was an important French engineer. Engineers are people who design, build, and maintain engines, machines, and structures. He was also a member of the Institut de France, which is a famous group of French scholars and scientists.
Maurice Lévy was born in Ribeauvillé, a town in a region called Alsace. He went to two very good schools in France. First, he studied at the École Polytechnique. There, he was a student of another famous engineer, Adhémar Jean Claude Barré de Saint-Venant. After that, he went to the École des Ponts et Chaussées. He became a professional engineer in 1863.
During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), Maurice Lévy helped his country. He was in charge of some of the artillery, which are large guns used in warfare. After the war, he held several teaching jobs. In 1875, he became a professor at the École Centrale. Later, in 1885, he became a professor at the Collège de France. He also helped with a project to map France accurately.
New Ideas About Materials
Maurice Lévy had new ideas about how materials behave. He studied how things like metal or wood bend and stretch. He changed an old idea about how materials deform. His new way of thinking helped engineers understand materials better. This was important for designing strong buildings and machines.
Boat Traction System
In 1888, Maurice Lévy created a new way to move boats. He designed a system that used overhead cables to pull boats along a river. A test system was set up between Joinville-le-Pont and Saint-Maurice.
This system used a long, endless cable that was moved by powerful steam engines. Boats would attach to this cable and be pulled along at about four kilometers per hour. However, this system did not work as well as hoped.
Important Writings
Maurice Lévy wrote many important books and papers. These works shared his knowledge about engineering and mathematics. Some of his well-known books include:
- "La Statique Graphique et Ses Applications à l'Art des Constructions" (1874; updated in 1887)
- "Sur le Principe d'Énergie" (1888)
- "Étude des Moyens de Traction des Bateaux: Le Halage Funiculaire" (written with M. G. Pavie, 1894)
He also wrote many articles for scientific journals. These articles covered topics like how things move (kinematics), how forces work (mechanics), and different types of mathematics and geometry. His writings appeared in famous publications like the "Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences" and the "Journal de l'École Polytechnique".
Maurice Lévy was a highly respected person in France. He received special honors, including being an officer of the Legion of Honor. He was also a member of the French Academy of Sciences and the Royal Academy of Sciences of Rome.
