Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal (June 19, 1623 - August 19, 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. A child prodigy educated by his father, his early work was in the natural and applied sciences. In mathematics, he made significant contributions to projective geometry, probabilities, and combinatorial mathematics. In physics, he studied fluids, clarifying the concepts of pressure and vacuum by generalizing the work of Evangelista Torricelli. After a mystical experience in 1654, he abandoned his scientific work and devoted himself to philosophy and theology. From this period, two books are mostly remembered : Lettres provinciales and Pensées.