Sylvestre François Lacroix
Mathematician, Author
1765 – 1843
Who was Sylvestre François Lacroix?
Sylvestre François Lacroix was a French mathematician.
He was born in Paris, and was raised in a poor family who still managed to obtain a good education for their son. He displayed a particular talent for mathematics, calculating the motions of the planets by the age of 14. In 1782 at the age of 17 he became an instructor in mathematics at the École Gardes de Marine in Rochefort, France. He returned to Paris and taught courses in astronomy and mathematics at the Lycée. In 1787 he was the co-winner of that year's Grand Prix of the French Académie des Sciences, but was never awarded the prize. Sylvestre married Marie Nicole Sophie Arcambal. When the Lycée was abolished, he again moved to the provinces.
In Besançon, from 1788, he taught course in mathematics, physics, and chemistry at the École d'Artillerie. In 1793 he became examiner of the Artillery Corps, replacing Pierre-Simon Laplace in the post. By 1794 he was aiding his old instructor, Gaspard Monge, in creating material for a course on descriptive geometry. In 1799 he was appointed professor at the École Polytechnique. Lacroix produced most of his texts for the sake of improving his courses. The same year he was voted into the newly formed Institut National des Sciences et des Arts. In 1812 he began teaching at the Collège de France, and was appointed chair of mathematics in 1815.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
- Born
- Apr 28, 1765
Paris - Also known as
- Sylvestre Francois Lacroix
- S. F. Lacroix
- Nationality
- France
- Profession
- Died
- May 24, 1843
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Sylvestre François Lacroix." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/sylvestre_francois_lacroix>.
Discuss this Sylvestre François Lacroix biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In