| Marin Mersenne | |
| Born | September 8, 1588 Oizé, Maine |
|---|---|
| Died | September 1, 1648 |
| Nationality | French |
| Known for | acoustics |
Marin Mersenne, Marin Mersennus or le Père Mersenne (September 8, 1588 – September 1, 1648) was a French theologian, philosopher, mathematician and music theorist, often referred to as the "father of acoustics" (Bohn 1988:225). Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Oizé is a village and commune in the Sarthe département of France, in the région Pays-de-la-Loire. Maine is one of the traditional provinces of France. It corresponds to the old county of Maine centered around the city of Le Mans. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of Sound, Ultrasound and Infrasound (all mechanical waves in gases liquids and solids Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study and research is the field of Mathematics. Music theory is the field of study that deals with the Mechanics of music and how Music works Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of Sound, Ultrasound and Infrasound (all mechanical waves in gases liquids and solids Marin Mersenne, Marin Mersennus or le Père Mersenne ( September 8, 1588 &ndash September 1, 1648) was
Contents |
Life
Marin Mersenne (pronounced Mehr-SENN) was born of peasant parents near Oizé, Maine (present day Sarthe). Oizé is a village and commune in the Sarthe département of France, in the région Pays-de-la-Loire. Maine is one of the traditional provinces of France. It corresponds to the old county of Maine centered around the city of Le Mans. Sarthe (saʁt is a French department, named after the Sarthe River. He was educated at Le Mans and at the Jesuit College of La Flèche. Le Mans (ləmɑ̃ in French) is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order La Flèche is a commune of the Sarthe département in France, on the banks of the Loir river On July 17, 1611, he joined the Minim Friars, and, after studying theology and Hebrew in Paris received his full holy orders in 1613. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Minims (also called the Minimi or The Order of the Minims) are followers of a Roman Catholic Religious order founded by Francis of Paola Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city In a general sense the term Holy Orders refers to those in the Christian religion who have been ordained in Apostolic Succession. Anatomy]] at Nevers but returned to Rome in 1620 at the convent of L'Annonciade. Nevers ( Latin: Noviodunum, later Nevirnum and Nebirnum) is a commune of central France, the Préfecture Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 There, with other kindred spirits such as Descartes, Étienne Pascal, Gilles de Roberval and Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, he studied mathematics and music. Étienne Pascal ( Clermont, May 2 1588 - Paris, September 24 1651) was the father of Blaise Pascal. Gilles Personne de Roberval ( August 10, 1602 - October 27 1675) French Mathematician, was born at Roberval near Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc ( December 1, 1580 &ndash June 24, 1637) was a French Astronomer, antiquary and savant Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and He corresponded with Giovanni Doni, Constantijn Huygens and other scholars in Italy, England and Holland. Giovanni Battista Doni (c 1593 - 1647 was an Italian Musicologist who made an extensive study of Ancient music. Constantijn Huygens ( September 4 1596, The Hague - March 28 1687, The Hague was a Dutch Poet and Composer Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Holland is a region in the western part of the Netherlands. A maritime and economic power in the 17th century Holland today consists of the Dutch provinces of For four years he devoted himself entirely to philosophic and theological writing, and published Quaestiones celeberrimae in Genesim (1623); L'Impieté des déistes (1624); La Vérité des sciences (Truth of the Sciences against the Sceptics, 1624). It is sometimes incorrectly stated that he was a Jesuit. He was educated by Jesuits, but he never joined the Society of Jesus. He taught theology and philosophy at Nevers and Berlin. In 1635 Mersenne met with Tommaso Campanella, but concluded that he could "teach nothing in the sciences (. Tommaso Campanella ( September 5, 1568 &ndash May 21, 1639) baptized Giovanni Domenico Campanella, was an Italian . . ) but still he has a good memory and a fertile imagination. " Mersenne asked if René Descartes wanted Campanella to come to Holland to meet him, but Descartes declined. He visited Germany fifteen times, in 1640, 1641 and 1645.
He died through complications arising from a lung abscess. Lung abscess is Necrosis of the Pulmonary tissue and formation of cavities (more than 2 cm containing necrotic debris or fluid caused by Microbial infection
Work
Quaestiones celeberrimae in Genesim (1623)
It was written as a commentary on the book of Genesis and comprises uneven sections headed by verses from the first three chapters of that book. At first sight the book may appear to be a collection of treatises on various miscellaneous topics. However Robert Lenoble has shown that the principle of unity in the work is a diatribe against magical and divinatory arts, cabalism, animistic and pantheistic philosophies. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and Divination (from Latin divinare "to be inspired by a god" related to Divine, Diva and Deus) is the attempt of ascertaining Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals Pantheism ( Greek: πάν ( 'pan') = all and θεός ( 'theos') = God it literally means " God is All He mentions Martin Del Rio's Investigations into Magic and criticises Marsilio Ficino for claiming power for images and characters. Martín Antonio Delrio (or Martin Antoine Del Rio, May 17, 1551 - October 19, 1608) was a Jesuit theologian Marsilio Ficino ( Latin name Marsilius Ficinus; October 19 1433 - October 1 1499) was one of the most influential humanist He condemns astral magic and astrology and the anima mundi a concept popular amongst renaissance neo-platonists. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical Philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD founded by Whilst allowing for a mystical interpretation of the Cabala, he wholeheartedly condemned its magical application - particularly to angelology. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition He also criticises Pico della Mirandola, Cornelius Agrippa and Francesco Gorgio with Robert Fludd as his main target. Count Giovanni Pico della Mirandola ( February 24, 1463 - November 17, 1494) was an Italian Renaissance Philosopher. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim ( September 14, 1486 – February 18 1535) was a German magician, Occult Robert Fludd, also known as Robertus de Fluctibus (1574 Bearsted Kent &ndash September 8 1637, London) was a prominent Fludd responded with Sophia cum moria certamen (1626), wherein Fludd admits his involvement with the Rosicrucians. The term Rosicrucian (symbol the Rose Cross) describes a secret society of mystics allegedly formed in late mediaeval Germany, holding a doctrine "built on The anonymous Summum bonum (1629), another critique of Mersenne, is an openly Rosicrucian text. The cabalist Jacques Gaffarel joined Fludd's side, while Pierre Gassendi defended Mersenne. Jacques Gaffarel (Latin Jacobus Gaffarellus 1601‑1681 was a French Scholar and Astrologer. Pierre Gassendi ( January 22, 1592 &ndash October 24, 1655) was a French Philosopher, priest, Scientist
Other
Mersenne is remembered today thanks to his association with the Mersenne primes. In Mathematics, a Mersenne number is a positive integer that is one less than a Power of two: M_n=2^n-1 However, he was not primarily a mathematician; he wrote about music theory and other subjects. Music theory is the field of study that deals with the Mechanics of music and how Music works He edited works of Euclid, Archimedes, and other Greek mathematicians. Euclid ( Greek:.) fl 300 BC also known as Euclid of Alexandria, is often referred to as the Father of Geometry Archimedes of Syracuse ( Greek:) ( c. 287 BC – c 212 BC was a Greek mathematician, Physicist, Engineer But perhaps his most important contribution to the advance of learning was his extensive correspondence (in Latin, of course) with mathematicians and other scientists in many countries. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. At a time when the scientific journal had not yet come into being, Mersenne was the center of a network for exchange of information. For a broader class of publications which include scientific journals see Academic journal.
His philosophical works are characterized by wide scholarship and the narrowest theological orthodoxy. His greatest service to philosophy was his enthusiastic defence of Descartes, whose agent he was in Paris and whom he visited in exile in the Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands He submitted to various eminent Parisian thinkers a manuscript copy of the Meditations on First Philosophy, and defended its orthodoxy against numerous clerical critics. Meditations on First Philosophy (subtitled In which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated) is a philosophical treatise written
In later life, he gave up speculative thought and turned to scientific research, especially in mathematics, physics and astronomy. In this connection, his best known work is Traité de l'harmonie universelle (also referred to as Harmonie universelle) of 1636, dealing with the theory of music and musical instruments. Music theory is the field of study that deals with the Mechanics of music and how Music works A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. It is regarded as a source of information on 17th century music, especially French music and musicians, to rival even the works of Pietro Cerone. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a Pietro Cerone (1566&ndash1625 was an Italian music theorist singer and priest of the late Renaissance.
One of his many contributions to musical tuning theory was the suggestion of
as the ratio for an equally-tempered semitone. In Music, there are two common meanings for tuning: Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice A ratio is an expression which compares quantities relative to each other Equal temperament is a Musical temperament, or a system of tuning in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical Frequency ratio. A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest Musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music and it is considered the It was more accurate (0. 44 cents sharp) than Vincenzo Galilei's 18/17 (1. The cent is a logarithmic unit of measure used for musical intervals. Vincenzo Galilei (c 1520 &ndash July 2, 1591) was an Italian lutenist, Composer, and music theorist, and the father of 05 cents flat), and could be constructed using straightedge and compass. Pentagon constructgif|thumb|right|Construction of a regular pentagon]] Compass-and-straightedge or ruler-and-compass construction is the construction of lengths or Angles Mersenne's description in the 1636 Harmonie universelle of the first absolute determination of the frequency of an audible tone (at 84 Hz) implies that he had already demonstrated that the absolute-frequency ratio of two vibrating strings, radiating a musical tone and its octave, is 1 : 2. In Music, an octave ( is the the use of which is "common in most musical systems The perceived harmony (consonance) of two such notes would be explained if the ratio of the air oscillation frequencies is also 1 : 2, which in turn is consistent with the source-air-motion-frequency-equivalence hypothesis.
See also
- Catalan–Mersenne number/Catalan's Mersenne conjecture
- Equal temperament
References
- Bohn, Dennis A. In Mathematics, a double Mersenne number is a Mersenne number of the form M_{M_p} = 2^{2^p-1}-1 where p is a Mersenne Equal temperament is a Musical temperament, or a system of tuning in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical Frequency ratio. (1988). Environmental Effects on the Speed of Sound. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society 36. 4:223-231.
Bibliography
Works by Mersenne
- Euclidis elementorum libri, etc. (Paris, 1626)
- Les Mécaniques de Galilée (Paris, 1634)
- Questions inouies ou recreations des savants (1634)
- Questions théologiques, physiques, etc. (1634)
- Harmonie universelle (Paris, 1636-7)
- Nouvelles découvertes de Galilée (1639)
- Cogitata physico-mathematica (1644)
- Universae geometriae synopsis (1644)
Works about Mersenne
- Adrien Baillet, Vie de Descartes (1691)
- Poté, Éloge de Mersenne (1816)
- Gehring, F. Adrien Baillet ( June 13, 1649 — January 21, 1706) was a French scholar and critic (1922) "Mersennus, Marin (le Père Mersenne)", Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians (ed. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an Encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians J. A. Fuller Maitland)
External links
- O'Connor, John J. & Robertson, Edmund F. , “Marin Mersenne”, MacTutor History of Mathematics archive
"Marin Mersenne". The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive is an award-winning website maintained by John J Catholic Encyclopedia. The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
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