Florence Rivault
Encyclopedia
Florence Rivault (1571–1616) was a French
mathematician
and royal servant. He was born probably at La Cropte
, near Laval, France.
He was a "Gentleman of the Bedchamber" to Henry IV
, and a teacher of Louis XIII. He discovered that water, if confined in a bomb
shell and heated, would explode the shell. He published that fact in his treatise on artillery
in 1605, where he wrote: "The water is converted into air, and its vaporization is followed by violent explosion." His discovery is seen as one of the steps leading to the invention of the steam engine
. He died in Tours, France in January 1616.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
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 royal servant. He was born probably at La Cropte
La Cropte
La Cropte is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.-Geography:The Vaige forms most of the commune's north-western border, then flows southeastwards through the middle of the commune....
, near Laval, France.
He was a "Gentleman of the Bedchamber" to Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, and a teacher of Louis XIII. He discovered that water, if confined in a bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
shell and heated, would explode the shell. He published that fact in his treatise on artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
in 1605, where he wrote: "The water is converted into air, and its vaporization is followed by violent explosion." His discovery is seen as one of the steps leading to the invention of the steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
. He died in Tours, France in January 1616.
Works
- L'effet de la raréfaction de l'eau ad e quoi épouvanter les plut assurés des hommen Elément d'artilierie , p. 117-118. Paris, 1605