Francesco Faà di Bruno
Encyclopedia
Francesco Faà di Bruno was an Italian
mathematician
and priest
, born at Alessandria
. He was of noble birth, and held, at one time, the rank of captain-of-staff in the Sardinia
n Army. He is the eponym of Faà di Bruno's formula
. In 1988 he was beatified
by Pope John Paul II
.
Coming to Paris, he resigned his commission, studied under Augustin Cauchy, and Urbain Le Verrier, who shared in the discovery of the planet Neptune
, and he became intimate with Abbé Moigno and Charles Hermite
. On his return to Turin, he was ordained
, but the remainder of his life was spent as Professor of Mathematics at the University. In recognition of his achievements as a mathematician, the degree of Doctor of Science was conferred on him by the Universities of Paris and Turin.
on derivatives of composite functions, although it is now certain that the priority in its discovery and use is of Louis François Antoine Arbogast: Faà di Bruno should be only credited for the deteminant form
of this formula. However, his work is mainly related to elimination theory
and to the theory of elliptic function
s.
He was the author of about forty original articles published in the "Journal de Mathématiques" (edited by Joseph Liouville
), Crelle's Journal
, "American Journal of Mathematics" (Johns Hopkins University
), "Annali di Tortolini", "Les Mondes", "Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences", etc.; the first half of an exhaustive treatise on the theory and applications of elliptic function
s which he planned to complete in three volumes; "Théorie générale de l'élimination" (Paris, 1859); "Calcolo degli errori" (Turin, 1867), translated into French under the title of "Traité élémentaire du calcul des erreurs" (Paris, 1869); and most important of all, "Théorie des formes binaires" (Paris, 1876), translated into German (Leipzig, 1881). For a list of the memoirs of Faà di Bruno, see the "Catalogue of Scientific Papers of the Royal Society: (London, 1868, 1877, 1891), t. II, vii, and ix.
). The (fairly comprehensive) biographical entry about Francesco Faà di Bruno in the "Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Biographical Dictionary of Italians)" section of the Enciclopedia Treccani.. The original article in the Catholic Encyclopedia
whose content was originally included in this entry.. A short biographical sketch, available from the website of Torinoscienza.it.. The date of his beatification
as listed in the Vatican
web site.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
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 priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, born at Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
. He was of noble birth, and held, at one time, the rank of captain-of-staff in the Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
n Army. He is the eponym of Faà di Bruno's formula
Faà di Bruno's formula
Faà di Bruno's formula is an identity in mathematics generalizing the chain rule to higher derivatives, named after , though he was not the first to state or prove the formula...
. In 1988 he was beatified
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
.
Coming to Paris, he resigned his commission, studied under Augustin Cauchy, and Urbain Le Verrier, who shared in the discovery of the planet Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
, and he became intimate with Abbé Moigno and Charles Hermite
Charles Hermite
Charles Hermite was a French mathematician who did research on number theory, quadratic forms, invariant theory, orthogonal polynomials, elliptic functions, and algebra....
. On his return to Turin, he was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
, but the remainder of his life was spent as Professor of Mathematics at the University. In recognition of his achievements as a mathematician, the degree of Doctor of Science was conferred on him by the Universities of Paris and Turin.
Research in mathematics
In addition to some ascetical writings, the composition of some sacred melodies, and the invention of some scientific apparatus, Faà di Bruno made numerous and important contributions to mathematics. Today, he is best known for Faà di Bruno's formulaFaà di Bruno's formula
Faà di Bruno's formula is an identity in mathematics generalizing the chain rule to higher derivatives, named after , though he was not the first to state or prove the formula...
on derivatives of composite functions, although it is now certain that the priority in its discovery and use is of Louis François Antoine Arbogast: Faà di Bruno should be only credited for the deteminant form
Determinant
In linear algebra, the determinant is a value associated with a square matrix. It can be computed from the entries of the matrix by a specific arithmetic expression, while other ways to determine its value exist as well...
of this formula. However, his work is mainly related to elimination theory
Elimination theory
In commutative algebra and algebraic geometry, elimination theory is the classical name for algorithmic approaches to eliminating between polynomials of several variables....
and to the theory of elliptic function
Elliptic function
In complex analysis, an elliptic function is a function defined on the complex plane that is periodic in two directions and at the same time is meromorphic...
s.
He was the author of about forty original articles published in the "Journal de Mathématiques" (edited by Joseph Liouville
Joseph Liouville
- Life and work :Liouville graduated from the École Polytechnique in 1827. After some years as an assistant at various institutions including the Ecole Centrale Paris, he was appointed as professor at the École Polytechnique in 1838...
), Crelle's Journal
Crelle's Journal
Crelle's Journal, or just Crelle, is the common name for a mathematics journal, the Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik .- History :...
, "American Journal of Mathematics" (Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
), "Annali di Tortolini", "Les Mondes", "Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences", etc.; the first half of an exhaustive treatise on the theory and applications of elliptic function
Elliptic function
In complex analysis, an elliptic function is a function defined on the complex plane that is periodic in two directions and at the same time is meromorphic...
s which he planned to complete in three volumes; "Théorie générale de l'élimination" (Paris, 1859); "Calcolo degli errori" (Turin, 1867), translated into French under the title of "Traité élémentaire du calcul des erreurs" (Paris, 1869); and most important of all, "Théorie des formes binaires" (Paris, 1876), translated into German (Leipzig, 1881). For a list of the memoirs of Faà di Bruno, see the "Catalogue of Scientific Papers of the Royal Society: (London, 1868, 1877, 1891), t. II, vii, and ix.
See also
- Elimination theoryElimination theoryIn commutative algebra and algebraic geometry, elimination theory is the classical name for algorithmic approaches to eliminating between polynomials of several variables....
- Elliptic functions
- Faà di BrunoFaà di BrunoFaà di Bruno is the name of an Italian noble family based in the areas of Asti, Casale, and Alessandria, which provided the Counts of Bruno. In 1703 the family became additionally counts of Carentino....
, for other members of the family - Faà di Bruno's formulaFaà di Bruno's formulaFaà di Bruno's formula is an identity in mathematics generalizing the chain rule to higher derivatives, named after , though he was not the first to state or prove the formula...
- List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
External links
(in ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
). The (fairly comprehensive) biographical entry about Francesco Faà di Bruno in the "Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Biographical Dictionary of Italians)" section of the Enciclopedia Treccani.. The original article in the Catholic Encyclopedia
Catholic Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
whose content was originally included in this entry.. A short biographical sketch, available from the website of Torinoscienza.it.. The date of his beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
as listed in the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
web site.