Overview

French mathematician, theologian, and educator Marin Mersenne (1588-1648) made numerous contributions to mathematics, including the prompting of a greater understanding of cycloids, which in turn directly affected the development of the pendulum clock. By opposing irrational or superstitious interpretations of phenomena, including numbers, Mersenne helped elevate the level of mathematics and mathematical research. Indeed, it was his insistence on empirical evidence, as well as his curiosity about cycloids, that affected Christiaan Huygens's (1629-1695) work, which in turn resulted in Huygens patenting a pendulum clock. Without a doubt, though, Mersenne's great contribution to his time was his indefatigable devotion to collecting, sharing, and distributing scientific and mathematical information among a wide community of correspondents and scholars. In this way, he was a sort of oneman repository or clearinghouse, very much aware of...