Siméon Denis Poisson
Siméon Poisson FRS FRSE | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 June 1781 Pithiviers, Kingdom of France (present-day Loiret) |
| Died | 25 April 1840 (aged 58) Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, Kingdom of France |
| Alma mater | École Polytechnique |
| Known for | Poisson process Poisson equation Poisson kernel Poisson distribution Poisson bracket Poisson's spot Poisson's ratio See list |
| Scientific career | |
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| Institutions | École Polytechnique Bureau des Longitudes Faculté des sciences de Paris École de Saint-Cyr |
Academic advisors | Joseph-Louis Lagrange Pierre-Simon Laplace |
Doctoral students | Michel Chasles Joseph Liouville |
Other notable students | Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet |
Baron Siméon Denis Poisson (/pwɑːˈsɒ̃/, US also /ˈpwɑːsɒn/; French: [si.me.ɔ̃ də.ni pwa.sɔ̃]; 21 June 1781 – 25 April 1840) was a French mathematician and physicist who worked on statistics, complex analysis, partial differential equations, the calculus of variations, analytical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, elasticity, and fluid mechanics. Moreover, he predicted the Arago spot in his attempt to disprove the wave theory of Augustin-Jean Fresnel.
While his interpretations of physical phenomena were often proven wrong by later researchers, his contributions to mathematics have stood the test of time. He demonstrated that physical problems could suggest new mathematical ideas.