Michel Rolle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michel Rolle
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| Born | 21 April 1652 Ambert, Basse-Auvergne
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| Died | 8 November 1719 (aged 67) |
| Known for | Gaussian elimination, Rolle's theorem |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Académie Royale des Sciences |
Michel Rolle (born April 21, 1652, died November 8, 1719) was a clever French mathematician. He is famous for something called Rolle's theorem. He also helped create a math method called Gaussian elimination in Europe.
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Life of Michel Rolle
Michel Rolle was born in a place called Ambert, in France. His father was a shopkeeper. Michel only went to school for a short time. He got married when he was young. It was hard for him to earn enough money to support his family. He worked as a transcriber, copying documents for lawyers.
Even though he didn't have much schooling, Rolle loved to learn. He taught himself algebra and a special part of number theory called Diophantine analysis. This involves finding whole number solutions to equations. In 1675, he moved to Paris to continue his studies.
Becoming a Mathematician
Rolle's life changed a lot in 1682. He solved a very hard math problem in Diophantine analysis. People noticed his amazing skill. This led to him getting support from an important government minister. He also got a job teaching basic math.
Later, in 1685, he joined the French Academy of Sciences. This was a big deal! At first, he didn't get paid much. But in 1699, he became a "pensionnaire géometre." This was a special paid position. Out of 70 members, only 20 were paid. He stayed at the Academy until he passed away in 1719.
Rolle's Important Work
Michel Rolle was best at Diophantine analysis. But his most important work was a book about algebra. It was called Traité d'algèbre and came out in 1690. In this book, he made it clear how to write down the nth root of a number. He also proved a version of the theorem that is now named after him: Rolle's theorem.
Interestingly, Rolle was one of the first people to argue against a new type of math called calculus. He thought it was wrong and based on shaky ideas. This is ironic because his own theorem is super important for understanding calculus! He argued so much that the Academy of Sciences had to step in sometimes.
Rolle also helped change how we think about negative numbers. For example, some people used to think that -2 was smaller than -5. But Rolle helped establish the way we understand negative numbers today, where -5 is smaller than -2.
Michel Rolle's Contributions to Math
Rolle was initially a critic of infinitesimal calculus. He believed it was not accurate and had many errors. However, he later changed his mind about it.
Gaussian Elimination
In his 1690 book, Traité d'Algebre, Rolle described a method called Gaussian elimination. He called it the "method of substitution." This method helps solve systems of equations. Other mathematicians like Isaac Newton had also described similar ideas. But Rolle's book was one of the first to publish it in Europe.
Rolle's Theorem
Rolle is most famous for Rolle's theorem. He used this idea in 1690 and proved it in 1691. At the time, he explained it using algebra, not calculus. This makes sense because he wasn't a fan of calculus back then!
Later, in the 1700s, people realized how important Rolle's theorem was for calculus. It's needed to prove other big ideas like the mean value theorem. As the theorem became more important, people wanted to know who discovered it. That's why it was finally named "Rolle's theorem" in the 1800s.
Rolle's Arguments Against Calculus
Michel Rolle presented several papers to the French Academy. He argued that using calculus could lead to mistakes. He even showed an example of a curve where he thought calculus missed some of its lowest points.
Another mathematician named Pierre Varignon responded to Rolle. He explained that Rolle had misunderstood the curve. He showed that the points Rolle mentioned were actually special points with a straight up-and-down tangent line.
See also
In Spanish: Michel Rolle para niños
