Who was Siméon Denis Poisson?
Q: Who was Siméon Denis Poisson?
A: Siméon Denis Poisson was a French mathematician and physicist who lived from 1781 to 1840.
Q: Where did he study mathematics?
A: He studied mathematics at the École Polytechnique.
Q: Who did he meet while studying there?
A: While studying at the École Polytechnique, he met Pierre-Simon Laplace and Joseph-Louis Lagrange.
Q: What position did he take in 1806?
A: In 1806, he took the position that Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier had before him.
Q: What phenomenon is named after him?
A: The Poisson spot, which is a phenomenon related to light waves, is named after him. Additionally, his relation between pressure and volume in the adiabatic process is known as Poisson's Law today and his name is also associated with thermodynamics equations known as Poisson's equations as well as a ratio for measuring how much an object stretches under load (known as Poisson's ratio).
Q: How did discussions about light end between him and Augustin-Jean Fresnel?
A: Discussions between them about whether or not light had the character of particles or waves ended when Fresnel could show the existence of the spot that Poisson had predicted in an experiment.
Q: How is his name honored today? A: His name is one of 72 honored on the Eiffel tower.
