Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis (; 21 May 1792 – 19 September 1843) was a French

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

and

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosoph ...

. He is best known for his work on the supplementary forces that are detected in a rotating frame of reference, leading to the

Coriolis effect In physics, the Coriolis force is an inertial or fictitious force that acts on objects in motion within a frame of reference that rotates with respect to an inertial frame. In a reference frame with clockwise rotation, the force acts to the ...

. He was the first to apply the term ''travail'' (translated as "

work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an animal t ...

") for the transfer of energy by a force acting through a distance.

Biography

Coriolis was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1792. In 1808 he sat the entrance exam and was placed second of all the students entering that year, and in 1816, he became a tutor at the

École Polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

, where he did experiments on

friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction: *Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of ...

and

hydraulics Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counte ...

In 1829, Coriolis published a textbook, ''Calcul de l'Effet des Machines'' ("Calculation of the Effect of Machines"), which presented mechanics in a way that could readily be applied by industry. In this period, the correct expression for

kinetic energy In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the energy that it possesses due to its motion. It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acc ...

, ''½mv²'', and its relation to

mechanical work In physics, work is the energy transferred to or from an object via the application of force along a displacement. In its simplest form, for a constant force aligned with the direction of motion, the work equals the product of the force stre ...

, became established. During the following years, Coriolis worked to extend the notions of kinetic energy and work to rotating systems. The first of his papers, ''Sur le principe des forces vives dans les mouvements relatifs des machines'' (On the principle of kinetic energy in the relative motion in machines), was read to the Académie des Sciences (Coriolis 1832). Three years later came the paper that would make his name famous, ''Sur les équations du mouvement relatif des systèmes de corps'' (On the equations of relative motion of a system of bodies). Coriolis's papers do not deal with the atmosphere or even the rotation of the Earth, but with the transfer of energy in rotating systems like waterwheels. Coriolis discussed the supplementary forces that are detected in a rotating frame of reference and he divided these forces into two categories. The second category contained the force that would eventually bear his name. A detailed discussion may be found in Dugas. In 1835, he published a mathematical work on collisions of spheres: ''Théorie Mathématique des Effets du Jeu de Billard'', considered a classic on the subject. Coriolis's name began to appear in the meteorological literature at the end of the 19th century, although the term " Coriolis force" was not used until the beginning of the 20th century. Today, the name Coriolis has become strongly associated with meteorology, but all major discoveries about the general circulation and the relation between the pressure and wind fields were made without knowledge about Gaspard Gustave Coriolis. Coriolis became professor of mechanics at the

École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

in 1829. Upon the death of

Claude-Louis Navier Claude-Louis Navier (born Claude Louis Marie Henri Navier; ; 10 February 1785 – 21 August 1836) was a French mechanical engineer, affiliated with the French government, and a physicist who specialized in continuum mechanics. The Navier–Stok ...

in 1836, Coriolis succeeded him in the chair of applied mechanics at the

École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

and to Navier's place in the

Académie des Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at th ...

. In 1838, he succeeded Dulong as ''Directeur des études'' (director of studies) in the

. He died in 1843 at the age of 51 in

. His name is one of the 72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower. File:Coriolis-1.jpg, 1829 copy of "''Du Calcul de L'Effet Des Machines''" File:Coriolis-3.jpg, Introductory page of an 1829 copy of "''Du Calcul de L'Effet Des Machines''" File:Coriolis-4.jpg, First page of an 1829 copy of "''Du Calcul de L'Effet Des Machines''"

References

External links

* * "Sur les équations du mouvement relatif des systèmes de corps" (Coriolis, 1831 & 1835), online and analyzed on
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' lick 'à télécharger' for English version/small> * "Sur le bruit du tonnerre" (Coriolis, 1833), online and analyzed on
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' lick 'à télécharger' for English version/small> {{DEFAULTSORT:Coriolis, Gaspard-Gustave French civil engineers École Polytechnique alumni École des Ponts ParisTech alumni Corps des ponts 1792 births 1843 deaths Scientists from Paris 19th-century French mathematicians French physicists French mechanical engineers French Roman Catholics Members of the French Academy of Sciences Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery

Biography

See also

References

Further reading

External links