1602-1675

French mathematician who became a professor of mathematics at the Collège Royale in Paris, despite his peasant background. He traveled widely through France teaching mathematics and meeting many important mathematicians. He developed new methods of integration, and did foundational work on kinematic geometry. A founding member of the Académie Royal des Sciences, he invented the Roberval balance, which is still used today. He also studied cartography and did experimental work on vacuums.