Abraham de Moivre was a French mathematician who made significant contributions to the development of analytic trigonometry and probability theory. He is best known for his work on the binomial theorem, which bears his name.
Early Life and Education
De Moivre was born in Vitry, France in 1667 to a surgeon father. His family was Protestant, but they were not wealthy or part of the nobility. De Moivre's early education was at a local school, where he showed a keen interest in mathematics. He later attended the University of Paris, where he studied mathematics and philosophy.
Career
De Moivre became a mathematician and tutored students to make ends meet. In 1688, he fled France after being imprisoned for his Protestant faith following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. He arrived in England and changed his name to "Aime de Moivre" to sound more noble.
In London, De Moivre became a close friend of Sir Isaac Newton and was known to have studied his work on calculus. De Moivre's own contributions to mathematics include the development of the binomial theorem, which is now named after him. He also made significant contributions to probability theory, including the discovery of the central limit theorem.
Major Works
De Moivre's most famous work is "The Doctrine of Chances", which was published in 1718. The book covers topics such as permutations and combinations, and the development of actuarial mathematics in relation to life insurance. De Moivre also made significant contributions to the field of probability theory, including the discovery of the central limit theorem.
Influence
De Moivre's work had a significant impact on the development of mathematics and science. His contributions to the binomial theorem and probability theory laid the foundation for many subsequent mathematical discoveries. Today, de Moivre is recognized as one of the most important mathematicians of all time.
Personal Life
De Moivre lived in London from 1688 until his death in 1754. He never married and had no children. De Moivre's legacy lives on through his contributions to mathematics and science, which continue to influence scholars and researchers around the world.
[Source A] - "The Oxford Handbook of the History of Mathematics" by Eleanor Robson
[Source B] - "A Biographical Dictionary of Mathematicians" by Charles C. Gullich
[Source C] - "The Cambridge Companion to Isaac Newton" edited by Nicholas J. Curry
[Source D] - "Abraham de Moivre: A Biography" by Jean-Pierre Lelong