the biography of René Descartes

René Descartes

René Descartes (1596-1650) was a philosopher, physicist and mathematician French theorist rationalism.
From the high bourgeoisie, René Descartes studied with the Jesuits before traveling throughout Europe. He then retired to Holland, where he devoted himself to his work as a philosopher and scholar. Invited by Queen Christina to the Swedish court in 1649, shortly after he died in Stockholm. He leaves a rich and innovative work.
In mathematics, Descartes requires the use of the last letters of the alphabet to denote unknown values (x, y, z) and the first letters to the known values (a, b, c). It also introduces the superscript (x2) to express the power of a number.
In geometry, its contributions are fundamental. It was he who established that Euclidean geometry is based on a mathematical structure, the real numbers. Parallel and independently by Pierre de Fermat, Descartes contribute to the creation of analytic geometry (which allows to combine equations curves and geometric figures). He thus develops the Cartesian coordinates (Easting and Northing).
In geometrical optics, Descartes discovered - regardless of Dutch scientist Willebrord Snell - the law of refraction of light (known as Snell's law).
In mechanics, it is still Descartes states that the first principle of inertia.
The thought of Descartes, called "Cartesian" mixes science and philosophy. For him, all the sciences are subject to a universal science: mathesis universalis, a universal science of order and measurement. In 1637 he published the Discourse on Method (Discourse on the Method of rightly conducting the reason and seeking truth in the sciences), his most important work.

The basis of the Cartesian method (Cartesian) is strict obedience to the rule of evidence, "never to accept anything as true that I clearly know to be such." Any rational scientific approach must begin with the simplest concepts to achieve, by deductive, to more complex concepts that depend on first. Mathematics follow this method and are therefore the ideal model should be