Victor Alexandre Puiseux (; 16 April 1820 – 9 September 1883) 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 ...

and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

. Puiseux series are named after him, as is in part the Bertrand–Diquet–Puiseux theorem. His work on

algebraic functions In mathematics, an algebraic function is a function that can be defined as the root of a polynomial equation. Quite often algebraic functions are algebraic expressions using a finite number of terms, involving only the algebraic operations additi ...

and uniformization makes him a direct precursor of

Bernhard Riemann Georg Friedrich Bernhard Riemann (; 17 September 1826 – 20 July 1866) was a German mathematician who made contributions to analysis, number theory, and differential geometry. In the field of real analysis, he is mostly known for the first ...

, for what concerns the latter's work on this subject and his introduction of Riemann surfaces. He was also an accomplished amateur

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

. A peak in the French alps, which he climbed in 1848, is named after him. A species of Israeli

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos a ...

, '' Ptyodactylus puiseuxi'', is named in his honor.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Puiseux", p. 212). Victor Puiseux

Life

He was born in 1820 in

Argenteuil Argenteuil () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Argenteuil is a sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise department, the seat of the arrondissement of Argenteuil. Argenteuil is the sec ...

Val-d'Oise Val-d'Oise (, "Vale of the Oise") is a department in the Île-de-France region, Northern France. It was created in 1968 following the split of the Seine-et-Oise department. In 2019, Val-d'Oise had a population of 1,249,674. ...

. He occupied the chair of

celestial mechanics Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of objects in outer space. Historically, celestial mechanics applies principles of physics (classical mechanics) to astronomical objects, such as stars and planets, ...

at the Sorbonne. Excelling in mathematical analysis, he introduced new methods in his account of

, and by his contributions to

advanced knowledge in that direction. In 1871, he was unanimously elected to the French Academy. One of his sons, Pierre Henri Puiseux, was a famous astronomer. He died in 1883 in Frontenay,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

References

* * 1820 births 1883 deaths People from Argenteuil French Roman Catholics 19th-century French mathematicians École Normale Supérieure alumni Academic staff of the University of Paris Members of the French Academy of Sciences {{France-mathematician-stub