Jean Frédéric Frenet
Encyclopedia
Jean Frédéric Frenet was a French
mathematician
, astronomer
, and meteorologist. He was born and died in Périgueux
, France.
He is best known for being an (independent) co-discoverer of the Serret formulas. He wrote six out of the nine formulas, which at that time were not expressed in vector notation, nor using linear algebra
. These formulas are important in the theory of space curves (differential geometry), and they were presented in his doctoral thesis at Toulouse
in 1847. That year he became a professor at Toulouse, and one year later, 1848, he became professor of mathematics at Lyon
. He also was director of an astronomical observatory at Lyon. Four years later, in 1852, he published the Frenet formulas in the Journal de mathématiques pures at appliques.
In 1856 his calculus
primer was first published, which ran through seven editions, the last one published posthumously in 1917.
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....
, astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
, and meteorologist. He was born and died in Périgueux
Périgueux
Périgueux is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.Périgueux is the prefecture of the department and the capital of the region...
, France.
He is best known for being an (independent) co-discoverer of the Serret formulas. He wrote six out of the nine formulas, which at that time were not expressed in vector notation, nor using linear algebra
Linear algebra
Linear algebra is a branch of mathematics that studies vector spaces, also called linear spaces, along with linear functions that input one vector and output another. Such functions are called linear maps and can be represented by matrices if a basis is given. Thus matrix theory is often...
. These formulas are important in the theory of space curves (differential geometry), and they were presented in his doctoral thesis at Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1847. That year he became a professor at Toulouse, and one year later, 1848, he became professor of mathematics at Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. He also was director of an astronomical observatory at Lyon. Four years later, in 1852, he published the Frenet formulas in the Journal de mathématiques pures at appliques.
In 1856 his calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
primer was first published, which ran through seven editions, the last one published posthumously in 1917.