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Pascal

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Mike Gates
Mike Gates

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Christian philosopher. He made important contributions to many fields, including projective geometry, probability theory, and the development of the syringe and hydraulic press. As a Christian, he emphasized God's grace and authored Pens辿es to argue for Christianity using reason and experience. Pascal developed early concepts of calculus and probability theory that demonstrated rational reasons for believing in God even without proof. He lived his life seeking to glorify God in all areas of work and thought.

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Blaise Pascal 1623-1662
The Beginning Born in Clermont-Ferrand, France, June 19, 1623 His father, Etienne, was a royal tax officer Probably grew up in wealthy circumstances He was taught by his father with an unorthodox approach First learned methods of reason and judgment - discovering the why behind facts. At age 12, Pascal was allowed to learn Latin, but not mathematics.
Pascals greatest achievements By age 12, he proved Euclids theorems (The Elements) on his own! By 16, Had published a book on conic sections Invented projective geometry Proved that vacuums could be created Invented the syringe and hydraulic lift Unified and proved much in fluid mechanics Came up with the basis for much of modern insurance and probability work, together with Pierre de Fermat Cleared up many question concerning cycloids
1642- Pascals Adding Machine Many prototypes were constructed Never had a large market, probably because of price
The faith of the man Christ was the center of his theology In [Jesus] is all our virtue and all our happiness. Apart from Him there is only vice, misery, error, darkness, death, despair. He converted to Jansenism, a branch of Catholicism, in 1646 They rediscovered Augustine and opposed semi-Pelagianism Major beliefs sound quite similar to Reformers Stressed moral purity
The faith of the man Provincial Letters -These were Jansenist letters that were written in opposition to the Jesuits Pens辿es (Thoughts) - chapters include discussion on mathematics & reason fundamentals of Christianity proofs for Jesus Christ Writings... General distinguishing belief: Man cannot do any act truly pleasing to God without the grace of God. (regeneration) Gods grace effectively accomplishes His will.
His mathematics applied to faith His work with probability produced what has become known as Pascals wager It demonstrates a method of coming to a reasonable decision. Either God is or God is not. One has no choice but to wager on which of these statements is true, where the wager is in terms of ones actions. Which way should one act? In complete indifference to God or In a way compatible with the (Christian) notion of God.
His mathematics applied to faith (cont.) Which way should one act? If God is not, it does not matter much. If God is, wagering that there is no God will bring damnation while wagering that God exists will bring salvation. Because the outcome of the latter is infinitely more desirable than the former, the outcome of this decision-problem is clear, even if one believes that the probability of Gods existence is small: The reasonable person will act as if God exists. "If God does not exist, one will lose nothing by believing in Him, while if He does exist, one will lose everything by not believing." -Pascal
Development of Calculus From 1653-1654 he wrote Trait辿 du triangle arithn辿tique Trait辿 des ordres num辿riques (published in 1665) Trait辿 de la sommation des puissances num辿riques Here Pascal laid down the principles of differential and integral calculus
Pascal, a man who lived and worked in light of the existence of a Sovereign, Personal God who revealed Himself in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, grew gravely ill in 1659 and died in August 1962
Pascal & Beyond Unlike the Protestant Reformers, Pascals religious order saw an unscriptural dichotomy between secular and ecclesiastical activities. Instead of doing all to the glory of God, Pascal felt an unnecessary tension between his mathematical studies and his faith. Pascals independent discovery of Geometrys postulates testifies that mathematics is a discovery of the works of God and not merely an invention of man. One could believe that calculus was a work of art produced by the free will of man if one could believe the possibility of a symphony arising from the scores of a number of composers who supposed they were writing only tone poems for solos or chamber groups. This symphony comes together without changing even the key, though the artists wrote during hundreds of years in different corners of the globe without the knowledge of each others work. - Zimmerman Truth and the Transcendent
Pascal & Beyond Many discoveries even occurred simultaneously in the history of mathematics despite great distances and slow communication Law of Inverse Squares by Newton and Halley Logarithms by Burgi and Napier/Briggs Calculus by Newton on the island and Leibniz on the continent Two geometries of Russian Lobachevski and Hungarian Bolyai Modern vector calculus by both Hamilton and Grassman Contradiction Hypothesis by H.A. Lorentz and Fitzgerald The double Theta functions by Gopel and Rosehain The rectification of the semi-cubal parabola by Van Heauraet, Neil, and Fermat Geometric law of duality by Oncelet and Gergone Principle of Least Squares by Gauss and Legendre It seems to be my fate to concur in nearly all my theoretical works with Legendre - Gauss quoted in Bells Men of Mathematics

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Pascal

  • 2. The Beginning Born in Clermont-Ferrand, France, June 19, 1623 His father, Etienne, was a royal tax officer Probably grew up in wealthy circumstances He was taught by his father with an unorthodox approach First learned methods of reason and judgment - discovering the why behind facts. At age 12, Pascal was allowed to learn Latin, but not mathematics.
  • 3. Pascals greatest achievements By age 12, he proved Euclids theorems (The Elements) on his own! By 16, Had published a book on conic sections Invented projective geometry Proved that vacuums could be created Invented the syringe and hydraulic lift Unified and proved much in fluid mechanics Came up with the basis for much of modern insurance and probability work, together with Pierre de Fermat Cleared up many question concerning cycloids
  • 4. 1642- Pascals Adding Machine Many prototypes were constructed Never had a large market, probably because of price
  • 5. The faith of the man Christ was the center of his theology In [Jesus] is all our virtue and all our happiness. Apart from Him there is only vice, misery, error, darkness, death, despair. He converted to Jansenism, a branch of Catholicism, in 1646 They rediscovered Augustine and opposed semi-Pelagianism Major beliefs sound quite similar to Reformers Stressed moral purity
  • 6. The faith of the man Provincial Letters -These were Jansenist letters that were written in opposition to the Jesuits Pens辿es (Thoughts) - chapters include discussion on mathematics & reason fundamentals of Christianity proofs for Jesus Christ Writings... General distinguishing belief: Man cannot do any act truly pleasing to God without the grace of God. (regeneration) Gods grace effectively accomplishes His will.
  • 7. His mathematics applied to faith His work with probability produced what has become known as Pascals wager It demonstrates a method of coming to a reasonable decision. Either God is or God is not. One has no choice but to wager on which of these statements is true, where the wager is in terms of ones actions. Which way should one act? In complete indifference to God or In a way compatible with the (Christian) notion of God.
  • 8. His mathematics applied to faith (cont.) Which way should one act? If God is not, it does not matter much. If God is, wagering that there is no God will bring damnation while wagering that God exists will bring salvation. Because the outcome of the latter is infinitely more desirable than the former, the outcome of this decision-problem is clear, even if one believes that the probability of Gods existence is small: The reasonable person will act as if God exists. "If God does not exist, one will lose nothing by believing in Him, while if He does exist, one will lose everything by not believing." -Pascal
  • 9. Development of Calculus From 1653-1654 he wrote Trait辿 du triangle arithn辿tique Trait辿 des ordres num辿riques (published in 1665) Trait辿 de la sommation des puissances num辿riques Here Pascal laid down the principles of differential and integral calculus
  • 10. Pascal, a man who lived and worked in light of the existence of a Sovereign, Personal God who revealed Himself in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, grew gravely ill in 1659 and died in August 1962
  • 11. Pascal & Beyond Unlike the Protestant Reformers, Pascals religious order saw an unscriptural dichotomy between secular and ecclesiastical activities. Instead of doing all to the glory of God, Pascal felt an unnecessary tension between his mathematical studies and his faith. Pascals independent discovery of Geometrys postulates testifies that mathematics is a discovery of the works of God and not merely an invention of man. One could believe that calculus was a work of art produced by the free will of man if one could believe the possibility of a symphony arising from the scores of a number of composers who supposed they were writing only tone poems for solos or chamber groups. This symphony comes together without changing even the key, though the artists wrote during hundreds of years in different corners of the globe without the knowledge of each others work. - Zimmerman Truth and the Transcendent
  • 12. Pascal & Beyond Many discoveries even occurred simultaneously in the history of mathematics despite great distances and slow communication Law of Inverse Squares by Newton and Halley Logarithms by Burgi and Napier/Briggs Calculus by Newton on the island and Leibniz on the continent Two geometries of Russian Lobachevski and Hungarian Bolyai Modern vector calculus by both Hamilton and Grassman Contradiction Hypothesis by H.A. Lorentz and Fitzgerald The double Theta functions by Gopel and Rosehain The rectification of the semi-cubal parabola by Van Heauraet, Neil, and Fermat Geometric law of duality by Oncelet and Gergone Principle of Least Squares by Gauss and Legendre It seems to be my fate to concur in nearly all my theoretical works with Legendre - Gauss quoted in Bells Men of Mathematics