Charles Étienne Louis Camus
Encyclopedia
Charles Étienne Louis Camus (August 25, 1699 – February 2, 1768), was a French
mathematician
and mechanician
who was born at Crecy-en-Brie, near Meaux
.
He studied mathematics, civil and military architecture
, and astronomy
. In 1730 he was appointed professor of architecture and, in 1733, associate of the Académie des Sciences. He also became a professor of geometry
, secretary to the Academy of Architecture and fellow of the Royal Society of London. In 1727 he presented a memoir to the academy on masting ships, in consequence of which he was named the same year joint mechanician to that body. In 1736 he accompanied Pierre Louis Maupertuis
and Alexis Claude Clairaut in the expedition to Lapland for the measurement of a degree of meridian arc
. He was the author of a Cours de mathématiques (Paris, 1766), and a number of essays on mathematical and mechanical subjects.
He was also employed in a variety of public works, and in 1765 was chosen a fellow of the Royal Society of London. He died in 1768.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and mechanician
Classical mechanics
In physics, classical mechanics is one of the two major sub-fields of mechanics, which is concerned with the set of physical laws describing the motion of bodies under the action of a system of forces...
who was born at Crecy-en-Brie, near Meaux
Meaux
Meaux is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located east-northeast from the center of Paris. Meaux is a sub-prefecture of the department and the seat of an arondissement...
.
He studied mathematics, civil and military architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. In 1730 he was appointed professor of architecture and, in 1733, associate of the Académie des Sciences. He also became a professor of geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, secretary to the Academy of Architecture and fellow of the Royal Society of London. In 1727 he presented a memoir to the academy on masting ships, in consequence of which he was named the same year joint mechanician to that body. In 1736 he accompanied Pierre Louis Maupertuis
Pierre Louis Maupertuis
Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis was a French mathematician, philosopher and man of letters. He became the Director of the Académie des Sciences, and the first President of the Berlin Academy of Science, at the invitation of Frederick the Great....
and Alexis Claude Clairaut in the expedition to Lapland for the measurement of a degree of meridian arc
Meridian arc
In geodesy, a meridian arc measurement is a highly accurate determination of the distance between two points with the same longitude. Two or more such determinations at different locations then specify the shape of the reference ellipsoid which best approximates the shape of the geoid. This...
. He was the author of a Cours de mathématiques (Paris, 1766), and a number of essays on mathematical and mechanical subjects.
He was also employed in a variety of public works, and in 1765 was chosen a fellow of the Royal Society of London. He died in 1768.
Works
- Course of mathematics for the use of engineers, 4 vols. 8vo.
- Elements of Mechanics.
- Elements of Arithmetic.
- Numerous memoirs in the volumes of the Academy of Sciences.