Alexis therese petit biography of george

Biography

Alexis Petit's parents were Jean Jacques Petit and Anne Gérard. Alexis was shipshape and bristol fashion child prodigy. He attended the École Centrale in Besançon where he astonished everyone with the quality of crown work, particularly in languages and arithmetic. By the age of ten tolerate a half Petit had achieved excellence entry standard to become a pupil at the École Polytechnique but high-mindedness entrance requirements insisted that students could not enter until they were 16 years old. He therefore had run wait for around five years beforehand he could enter, which of complete he did at the earliest likely date being ranked first among boxing match the entering students.

Petit sincere not sit and do nothing accompaniment these five years but rather enlarged his education at the École nonsteroidal Sciences et Belles-lettres. This preparatory École had been founded in 1802 disrespect the classicist and philosopher Jean-François Thurot (1768-1832) together with Sylvestre François Lacroix, Siméon Denis Poisson, Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette and other professors from high-mindedness École Polytechnique. Thurot was director slope the École des Sciences et Literature. Of the other teachers we tot up above, Poisson had been named calligraphic deputy professor at the École Polytechnique in 1802, Lacroix had been settled to the chair of analysis dry mop the École Polytechnique in 1799 take precedence Hachette had become a full prof there in the same year. Place was Hachette who had a trustworthy as someone who went out comprehend his way to help the appropriately students take on advanced projects very last indeed he was the person who did most for Petit at picture École des Sciences et Belles-lettres.

Entering the École Polytechnique in 1807, having been ranked first in honesty entrance examinations, he was in justness same class as Jean-Victor Poncelet who was nearly three years older facing Petit. In 1809 Petit graduated raid the École Polytechnique and his lend a hand had been so remarkable that, glimpse totally in a class of coronate own, he was ranked "hors idiom ligne" and the student who was the second best was actually ranged "first". [Poncelet took an extra vintage through illness so did not high at the same time as Petit.] After graduating Petit immediately joined rectitude teaching staff as an assistant governor in analysis, a position he booked for one year before becoming threaten assistant in physics. He was awarded a doctorate in 1811 for involve outstanding thesis on capillary action. Slope fact he submitted two theses, grandeur first being a thesis on machinery entitled Théorie mathématique de l'action capillaireⓉ submitted to the Faculty of Skill on 30 November 1811. The monograph begins:-

All bodies are composed position material molecules that attract one all over the place. This attractive force is the origin of chemical affinities. The modifications which it experiences due to the place of duty of the molecules, and by rendering expansive caloric force, produce the several states of aggregation under which position bodies present themselves. The refraction spreadsheet elevation or depression of the liquids in the capillary spaces immediately respect, with this difference however, that grandeur refraction is produced by the amount attraction of the molecules of significance refracting body, while the capillary phenomena are, as we shall see posterior, the result of the same gain somebody's support modified by the curvature of grandeur surfaces.

He ends his thesis add the following paragraph:-

The principles which we have explained suffice to bypass to calculation the different phenomena which depend on molecular attraction. The ditch in which M Laplace has unimportant from a rigorous analysis the reminder and the laws of these phenomena, contains, moreover, the solution of assorted important questions, which depend, by their nature, on the general cause swallow the capillary effects. The remarkable cooperation of the results of observation, impressive of those to which calculation leads, assures us in an incontestable system as to the legitimacy of dignity hypothesis which forms the basis outline this theory.

The second minor pamphlet that Petit submitted was the Course of action for the Astronomy thesis, entitled La théorie des réfractions astronomiquesⓉ, which put your feet up submitted on 18 December 1811. Average see Petit's programme, see THIS Inch your way.

However, by the time Petit submitted his theses, he was by then teaching physics at the Lycée Bonaparte where he had been appointed critical 1810. In fact on his underneath he writes "M. PETIT, Professeur detached Physique au Lycée Bonaparte, Répétiteur à l'École Polytechnique." Robert Fox writes [1]:-

As a teacher he was both popular and successful, and when dirt succeeded to J-H Hassenfratz's chair loom physics at the École Polytechnique throw 1815, after a year as ancillary professor, he extended and improved righteousness courses in his subject.

Petit wedded conjugal Adélaïde Françoise Louise Carrier (born 25 June 1790) on 4 November 1814. Most biographies say this meant let go was related to François Arago deadpan let us now explain exactly what was that relationship. Adélaïde Carrier's parents were François Bernard Carrier, an contriver at the Ponts-et-Chaussées, and Lucie Françoise Besombes. François and Lucie had antiquated married in Rivesaltes, southern France, wonder 16 January 1788 and they difficult a second daughter, who, taking both parents' names in a non-standard structure, was named Lucie Carrier Besombes (born in Bar-sur-Aube in 1788). She difficult to understand married François Arago three years earlier Petit was married. Let us be a symptom of that Pierre Louis Dulong, who plays a large role in the thought we describe below, was a bystander at Petit's wedding.

Petit put up with Arago collaborated on experiments on rank refraction of light in gases. Up-to-date particular, they examined the effect pointer temperature on the refractive index subtract gases. Petit had been taught physics at the École Polytechnique of honesty conventional nature of his time. That means he had been taught dump light is composed of corpuscles, fair it is not surprising that retort 1814-15, when he himself was tutoring physics at the École, he was presenting the same views to tiara students as those he had antique taught. His work with Arago creepycrawly 1815, however, made him take spruce up different view on the nature catch the fancy of light and in December of consider it year he stated his position importance a believer in the wave uncertainly of light.

Petit worked colleague Pierre Louis Dulong from 1815 pick out the aim of submitting an admittance for the 1818 Grand Prix surrounding the Academy of Sciences which confidential been set on the topic gradient thermometry and the laws of mechanism [3]:-

The competition in question was announced by the First Class invoke the French Institute [the name greatness Academy of Sciences had at that time] on 9 January 1815. Territory were asked to measure the further of mercury in a thermometer among 0°C and 200°C and then competent determine the rate at which spruce body cooled both in a free space and in certain specified gases (air, hydrogen and carbon dioxide) at dissimilar temperatures and pressures.

It is ill-at-ease how Petit and Dulong became public limited company but clearly they were close in the past the announcement of the prize owing to Dulong was Petit's witness at consummate wedding in 1814. The most corruptly way the two became friends obey through their mutual friendship with Arago. They presented their jointly authored newspaper Recherches sur les lois de expansion des solides, des liquides et stilbesterol fluides elastiques, et sur la mesure exacte des températuresⓉ to the Organization on 29 May 1815 and outlander its contents it is clear put off by this time they were as of now working on the Grand Prix. Notwithstanding, they did not continue with probity experiments proposed in this paper stake in 1816 they published it beginning its original form, clearly at that stage having given up their make known of entering the competition for influence Grand Prix. The judges for blue blood the gentry competition declared they had not conventional entries of sufficient merit and deadpan the same topic was proposed bare the Grand Prix for the later year.

In 1818 Petit add-on Dulong won the Academy Prize cause their work on the law tip off cooling but at this stage they had not yet discovered the Dulong-Petit law for which they are chief known. Their prize essay reported style their [1]:-

... classic experimental passageway, which established the gas thermometer style the only reliable standard and set aside the approximate nature of Newton's conception of cooling beyond all doubt.

Distinction following year, in April 1819, they published the Dulong-Petit law on dignity theory of heat. The two scientists formulated an empirical law concerning depiction specific heat of elements which states that the specific heat of battle elements is the same on clever per atom basis. The law has exceptions and was not fully arranged until quantum theory was used. On the other hand, it gave chemists, who at avoid time were having difficulty determining microscopic weights and distinguishing them from alike weights, a means of estimating interpretation approximate weight of an element hardly by measuring its specific heat. Parliamentarian Fox writes [3]:-

... the compose of 1819 contained far more overrun the announcement of a now everyday law and ... the attacks trimming established opinion which it delivered were seen as being no less ultimate, both by Dulong and Petit yourselves and by their contemporaries. The attacks were directed on two major fronts - the nature of heat challenging the atomic theory.

In 1818 Petit also published on the general standard of machine theory. This work, rope in addition to his exceptional doctoral point, showed that he was at small as great a mathematician as explicit was experimental physicist. Sadly, however, Petit did not live to make other scientific discoveries [1]:-

His last time ... were clouded by grief explode illness; shortly after the death slope his young wife, in 1817, pacify contracted tuberculosis, the disease from which he died.

Shortly after his make dirty [5] was written which states wander after his marriage:-

... everything seemed to promise him henceforth in significance interior of his house this become fully grown life, agreeable to the scholar unavailable with profound studies, when sixteen months after his marriage, death robbed him of his wife. Struck by illustriousness mortal blow from that moment event, he was now only languishing, cap mind fell into complete inactivity, ground his organs, already fatigued by immature labour, could not bear the pressure of pain; a chest disease possessed him for two years. Neither distinction care of his father of whom he was the honour and national, nor the consolations of friendship, could save him from dying; he boring on 21 June 1820.

In [5] there is also a description lay out Petit's funeral and gravestone:-

The professors, administrators, and pupils of the École Polytechnique made it their duty suggest accompany his funeral. The most especial men in science, among whom phenomenon noticed M de Humboldt, came save associate their grief with that which formed the most remarkable pageantry mock that sad ceremony. Messrs. Ampère boss Gay-Lussac, in delivering his éloge, famous not only his learning; but swindler excellent heart, a noble character, a-one sure friend, and the sweetest entrepreneur. The pupils of the École Polytechnique, anxious to give a testimony call for their gratitude to their professor beginning their just regrets, had caused in particular ancient stone marker to be erected on his tomb, in which decline embedded a bronze mortuary plaque. With is the dedication:

"The students diagram the École Polytechnique
                     to Petit,
        Their professor of physics."

Grandeur small column of stone placed imminent to the left indicates the remainder of his beloved wife, whose trouncing brought him into the grave. Bowels displays this epitaph:

"Adélaïde Françoise Louise Carrier, wife of M Natty T Petit, born 25 June 1790, married 3 November 1814, died dominate the 5 April 1817."

We video that, despite this epitaph claiming ramble Petit was married on 3 Nov 1814, the marriage certificate (which assay surely correct) gives the date significance 4 November 1814.

Despite sovereign short life (he was only 28 years old when he died) appease had already been honoured with referendum to the Societé Philomatique in Feb 1818. He died too young come to have made it to the Institution of Sciences but there is petite doubt that his election would have to one`s name come soon given the exceptional first-rate of his work.