Pierre-Simon Laplace
1749 – 1827
Gave the barometric formula and much of mathematical physics.
The French mathematician sometimes called the Newton of France, Laplace gave celestial mechanics its definitive form and derived the barometric formula relating pressure to altitude around 1800.
The standard-atmosphere and pressure tools here use his mathematics. He also co-founded probability theory — a working engineer meets Laplace in more places than they realize.
Portrait: a stylized blueprint-line rendering, not a photograph.
Contributions in the toolbox
- 1782
Introduces the transform in work on probability — the s-domain is born.
→ Final-Value Theorem — Steady-State Error - 1796
'Dark stars' — escape velocity meets light speed (circa).
→ Escape Velocity - 1805
The barometric formula — pressure vs. height, mathematically.
→ Standard Atmosphere - 1810
Central limit theorem explains why so many things go normal.
→ Normal Distribution Tail Probability