Emilie du Chatelet

Gabrielle Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet-Laumont (December 17, 1706 - September 10, 1749) was a French mathematician, physicist and author. Download high resolution version (817x944, 310 KB)In the public domain by age This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (817x944, 310 KB)In the public domain by age This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events May 23 - Battle of Ramillies November 5 - The Dublin Gazette publishes its first edition. ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... Events While in debtors prison, John Cleland writes Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure). ... A mathematician is a person whose area of study and research is mathematics. ... The word physicist should not be confused with physician, which means medical doctor. ... The word author has several meanings: The author of a book, story, article or the like, is the person who has written it (or is writing it). ...

Early Life

Émilie was born to a wealthy family in Paris. Her father was Louis Nicolas Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, the Baron de Breteuil, who was the Principal Secretary and Introducer of Ambassadors to Louis XIV. His position made him the center of scoial activity in the court, and thus gave the family great status. Her mother, Gabrielle Anne de Froulay, was brought up in a convent. The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Louis-Auguste le Tonnelier Louis-Auguste le Tonnelier, baron de Breteuil (1730 _ 1807) was a French aristocrat, statesman and politician. ... Louis XIV King of France and Navarre By Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701) Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638–September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ...

Émilie was rather awkward, so she was given lessons in fencing, riding and gymnastics in an attempt to improve her awkwardness. She was remarkably well educated for the time, and by the age of twelve she was fluent in Latin, Italian, French, Greek, and German. She received education in mathematics, literature, and even science as well. She also liked to dance, was a passable performer on the harpsichord, sang opera, and was an amateur actress. Russian Ivan Tourchine and American Weston Kelsey fence in the second round of the Olympic Mens Individual Epee event at the Helliniko Fencing Hall on Aug. ... Equestrianism relates to the riding of horses. ... Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinaesthetic awareness, such as handsprings and handstands. ... Latin is the language that was originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Mathematics Wikiquote quotations related to: Mathematics Look up Mathematics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikimedia Commons has more media related to: Mathematics Bogomolny, Alexander: Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles. ... Wikisource Every Author - Online books and writers forums A Bibliography of Literary Theory, Criticism, and Philology (José Ángel García Landa, University of Zaragoza, Spain) Open Directory Project: Literature World Literature Electronic Text Archives Magazines and E-zines Online Writing Writers Resources Libraries, Digital Cataloguing, Metadata Distance Learning T... What is science? There are different theories of what science is. ... A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance (from Old French dance, further history unknown) generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression (see also body language) or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... A harpsichord is the general term for a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument nowadays called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. ...

Marriage and her life with Voltaire

She was married on 20 June 1725 to the Marquis Florent-Claude Chastellet, and thus became Émilie du Chastellet (The spelling "Châtelet" was introduced by Voltaire and has now become standard). He was a military man who was made governor of Semur-en-Auxois in Burgundy. The marriage was arranged, and they had little in common, but did not openly fight often. Emilie had three children and considered her marital responsibility completed. They agreed to live separate lives. In the upper classes of France at the time, it was standard for both the husband and wife to have a lover. Coat of arms of the 2nd duchy of Burgundy and later of the French province of Burgundy Burgundy ( French: Bourgogne) is a historic region of France, inhabited in turn by Pre-Indo-European people, Celts ( Gauls), Romans ( Gallo-Romans), and various Germanic peoples, most importantly the Burgundians and the Franks. ... Marriage is a relationship and bond, most commonly between a man and a woman, that plays a key role in the definition of many families. ...

Emilie had three love affairs before she met Voltaire. At age 24, she had an affair with the Duc de Richelieu that lasted for a year and a half. The Duc was interested in literature and philosophy, and Emilie was one of the few women who could converse with him on his own level. Emilie read every book of consequence, attended the theater regularly, and enjoyed intellectual debate. Emilie expressed an interest in Isaac Newton and Richelieu encouraged her to take lessons in higher mathematics to better understand his theories. Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778), better known by the pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, deist and philosopher. ... Richelieu can refer to: People Armand-Jean du Plessis, Cardinal and Duc de Richelieu (1585-1642), French Cardinal, Duke, and politician, who served as Louis XIIIs chief minister Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu (1696-1788), marshal of France, grandnephew of the cardinal Emmanuel-Armand de Vignerot... Philosophy (from a combination of the Greek words philos meaning love and sophia meaning wisdom), as a practice, aims at some kind of understanding, knowledge, or wisdom about fundamental matters such as reality, knowledge, meaning, value, being, and truth. ...

Moreau de Maupertuis, a member of the Academy of Sciences, became Emilie's tutor in geometry. He was a mathematician, astronomer and physicist, and supported Newton's theories that were the topic of hot debate at the Academy.