Cauchy's father was a brilliant classical scholar who, in his early years, held the post of barrister at the parlement of Normandy. During the terror of the French Revolution, the Cauchy family moved out of harm's way to the village of Arcueil, where the great scientists Pierre-Simon Marquis de Laplace and Claude Berthollet also lived. Here, the young Augustin Cauchy grew up and became personally acquainted with his illustrious neighbors. Laplace recognized Cauchy's scientific aptitude but recommended a sound literary education, first, before pursuing scientific endeavors.

When he was fifteen years old, Cauchy completed his classical studies and after several months of preparation, was admitted to the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris. He also studied engineering at the Ecole de Ponts et Chaussées, which he left in 1809 to take a job as an engineer at the Ourcq Canal works and then at the Saint-Cloud bridge. In 1810, Cauchy...