Blaise+Pascal

=Blaise Pascal=

 Man is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness from which he emerges and the infinity in which he is engulfed. //Pensées //  (1670)

=Information=

 Blaise Pascal was born in Clermont in 1623. In 1631 he moved to Paris. His father recognized Pascal's mathematical talent and so he gave him a copy of Euclids Elements. He proved the 32nd proposition of Euclid in 1636, and five years later designed a calculating machine (known as the Pascaline).

The Pascaline was the first accurate mechanical calculator. In 1641 he created the first arithmetical machine and confirmed barometrical theories. However, in 1650, he decided to study religion rather than science and math.

In his //Pensees //, he wrote that he left his previous studies in order to "contemplate the greatness and the misery of man." //Pensees // is a collection of thoughts that form an argument in support of the Christian faith. Its most famous inclusion is Pascal's wager, where he argues that even one who is skeptical of Christianity should adhere because it is, paraphrasing, "the best game in town."

Three years later, 1653, he helped administer his fathers estate and took up his old life. He began doing more experiments on gases and liquids, studying the arithmetical triangle as well. Due to a near-death experience, he abandoned worldly living, and decided to go back to religion. He famous, not only for his //Pensees //, but also for his Provincial Letters, written to go against the Jesuits. Pascal died in 1662.

=Refrences=

//http://www.thocp.net/biographies/pascal_blaise.html

Portrait of Blaise Pascal //