Théodore Olivier (1793–1853) 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, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

Life and work

Olivier studied in the ''Licée Imperial'' of Lyon where he obtained in 1811 a degree in mathematics with high honours. After this, he went to the

École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

. Olivier looked like

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, but nobody could prove that Olivier was an illegitimate son of the Emperor. In 1815, he was an adjunct professor in the Artillery School at

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

and, in 1819, he became a full professor. In 1821, at the request of the King of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Charles XIV John Charles XIV John (; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844 and the first monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty. In Norway, he is known as Charles III John () and before he became royalty in ...

(Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte), he went to Sweden to organize the military school of Marieberg. Returning to France, Oliver criticized the pedagogical system in the École Polytechnique and in 1829, jointly with

Alphonse Lavallée Alphonse Lavallée (1791–1873) is the founder of the École Centrale Paris, a French ''Grande École''. He was born in Savigné-l'Évêque (Sarthe region, France). After studying law in Paris, Lavallée became the director of various compan ...

Jean-Baptiste Dumas Jean Baptiste André Dumas (; 14 July 180010 April 1884) was a French chemist, best known for his works on organic analysis and synthesis, as well as the determination of atomic weights (relative atomic masses) and molecular weights by measuri ...

and

Jean Claude Eugène Péclet Jean Claude Eugène Péclet (10 February 1793 – 6 December 1857) was a French physicist. He was born in Besançon, France. Péclet became, in 1812, one of the first students of the École Normale in Paris with Gay-Lussac and Dulong being hi ...

, founded the

École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures École or Ecole 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 * Éco ...

, where he was professor of geometry and mechanics for the rest of his life., page 7. He also was, between 1830 and 1844, a professor at the École Polytechnique and, from 1838, a professor at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers. Hiperboloide Theodore Olivier

Olivier is mainly known for the construction of three-dimensional models of geometry for pedagogical purposes. Most of them were sold to North American institutions such as

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

, the

University of Columbia Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan, it ...

and

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, where they are preserved. Olivier also studied the theory of

gear A gear or gearwheel is a rotating machine part typically used to transmit rotational motion and/or torque by means of a series of teeth that engage with compatible teeth of another gear or other part. The teeth can be integral saliences or ...

s, writing an extensive treatise on the subject, and constructing models, preserved in the Musée des Art et Offices in Paris., pages 305 and follow. Olivier had no children, but he was the uncle of the French explorer

Aimé Olivier de Sanderval Aimé Olivier de Sanderval (10 July 1840, Lyon, France – 22 March 1919), comte de Sanderval, was a French people, French adventurer, explorer of West Africa, entrepreneur and author. Early life He was born in Lyon, the second of Olivier bro ...

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* * Union College Permanent Collection
"Olivier Models"
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Olivier, Theodore 19th-century French mathematicians 1793 births 1853 deaths