A child prodigy, Alexis Claude Clairaut studied calculus at age 10, wrote mathematical papers at 13, and published a mathematical work on the gauche curve at age 18. Clairaut surpassed even Isaac Newton in his analysis of the effects of gravity and centrifugal force on a rotating body such as Earth, now known as Clairaut's theorem.

Clairaut was born in Paris, France, on May 7, 1713. His father, Jean-Baptiste, was a mathematics teacher who recognized his child's precociousness and guided his studies. Clairaut received his entire education at home; his father tutored him in algebra and geometry.

His mother, Catherine Petit, gave birth to 20 children, but most of them did not survive. Clairaut never married, but led an active social life. He and several other young mathematicians formed a society that served as a mathematical training ground for its members, and he often assisted his friends with their studies. He also visited and...