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Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Fourier (1768-1830)

Scientific field: Mathematics, Physics
Known for: Fourier series, Fourier transform

French mathematician, known also as an Egyptologist and administrator, Joseph Fourier exerted strong influence on mathematical physics through his “Théorie analytique de la chaleur” (1822; “The Analytical Theory Of Heat”). He showed how the conduction of heat in solid bodies may be analyzed in terms of infinite mathematical series now called by his name, the Fourier series.

Far transcending the particular subject of heat conduction, his work stimulated research in mathematical physics, which has since been often identified with the solution of boundary-value problems, encompassing many natural occurrences such as sunspots, tides, and the weather. His work also had a great influence on the theory of functions of a real variable, one of the main branches of modern mathematics.(1)

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