Who was Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis?
Q: Who was Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis?
A: Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis was a French mathematician, philosopher, and man of letters, who became the Director of the Académie des Sciences and the first President of the Prussian Academy of Science.
Q: What was Maupertuis's contribution to science?
A: Maupertuis made an expedition to Lapland to determine the shape of the Earth, and he is often credited with having invented the principle of least action, a version of which is known as Maupertuis's principle.
Q: What is the principle of least action?
A: The principle of least action is an integral equation that determines the path followed by a physical system.
Q: When did Maupertuis live?
A: Maupertuis was born in 1698 and died in 1759.
Q: What was Maupertuis's role at the Prussian Academy of Science?
A: Maupertuis was the first President of the Prussian Academy of Science, at the invitation of Frederick the Great.
Q: What was Maupertuis's work in natural history?
A: Maupertuis's work in natural history touched on aspects of heredity and the struggle for life, which is interesting in relation to modern science.
Q: Where did Maupertuis go on his expedition?
A: Maupertuis made an expedition to Lapland to determine the shape of the Earth.
