Bernard Frénicle de Bessy
Encyclopedia
Bernard Frénicle de Bessy (c. 1605–1675), was a French
mathematician
born in Paris
, who wrote numerous mathematical papers, mainly in number theory
and combinatorics
. He is best remembered for Des quarrez ou tables magiques, a treatise on magic squares published posthumously in 1693, in which he described all 880 essentially different normal magic squares of order 4. The Frénicle standard form
, a standard representation of magic square
s, is named after him. He solved many problems created by Fermat and also discovered the cube property of the number 1729
, later referred to as a taxicab number
.
Like Fermat, Frénicle was an amateur mathematician, but he still corresponded with the likes of Descartes, Huygens, Mersenne and also Fermat, who was his personal friend. His major contributions were in number theory.
He challenged Christiaan Huygens to solve the following system of equations in integers,
A solution was given by Théophile Pépin
in 1880.
In 1973, he was posthumously recognized by the American Mathematical Society
for his work in structural combinatorics
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, who wrote numerous mathematical papers, mainly in number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
and combinatorics
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
. He is best remembered for Des quarrez ou tables magiques, a treatise on magic squares published posthumously in 1693, in which he described all 880 essentially different normal magic squares of order 4. The Frénicle standard form
Frénicle standard form
A magic square is in Frénicle standard form, named for Bernard Frénicle de Bessy, if the following two conditions apply:# the element at position [1,1] is the smallest of the four corner elements; and...
, a standard representation of magic square
Magic square
In recreational mathematics, a magic square of order n is an arrangement of n2 numbers, usually distinct integers, in a square, such that the n numbers in all rows, all columns, and both diagonals sum to the same constant. A normal magic square contains the integers from 1 to n2...
s, is named after him. He solved many problems created by Fermat and also discovered the cube property of the number 1729
1729 (number)
1729 is the natural number following 1728 and preceding 1730.1729 is known as the Hardy–Ramanujan number after a famous anecdote of the British mathematician G. H. Hardy regarding a hospital visit to the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan...
, later referred to as a taxicab number
Taxicab number
In mathematics, the nth taxicab number, typically denoted Ta or Taxicab, is defined as the smallest number that can be expressed as a sum of two positive algebraic cubes in n distinct ways. The concept was first mentioned in 1657 by Bernard Frénicle de Bessy, and was made famous in the early 20th...
.
Like Fermat, Frénicle was an amateur mathematician, but he still corresponded with the likes of Descartes, Huygens, Mersenne and also Fermat, who was his personal friend. His major contributions were in number theory.
He challenged Christiaan Huygens to solve the following system of equations in integers,
- x2 + y2 = z2, x2 = u2 + v2, x − y = u − v.
A solution was given by Théophile Pépin
Théophile Pépin
Jean François Théophile Pépin was a French mathematician.Born in Cluses, Haute-Savoie, he became a Jesuit in 1846, and from 1850 to 1856 and from 1862 to 1871 he was Professor of Mathematics at various Jesuit colleges. He was appointed Professor of Canon Law in 1873, moving to Rome in 1880. He...
in 1880.
In 1973, he was posthumously recognized by the American Mathematical Society
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
for his work in structural combinatorics
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
.
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article from Rouse History of Mathematics.