You are on page 1of 4

GIRARD DESARGUES

There is little reliable information about the personal life of Girard (or Grard) Desargues (February 21, 1591 September, 1661), although he apparently came from a ery !ealthy "yon family# $is father !as a royal notary# %y 1626 &esargues !as in 'aris, an( too) part as an engineer at the siege of "a *ochelle (162+)# $e later became a technical a( isor to ,ar(inal (e *ichelieu an( the French go ernment# %y profession a military engineer an( architect, &esargues !as a member of the 'aris mathematical circle of -arin -ersenne# The group inclu(e( *en. &escartes, /tienne 'ascal, an( his son %laise 'ascal, all of !hom thought highly of &esargues0 !or) an( abilities# /ach of &esargues0 colleagues ma(e consi(erable use of the theorems he propose(#

1n 1626, &esargues (eri e( his famous 3perspecti e theorem,4 !hich states,45hen t!o triangles are in perspecti e, the points !here the correspon(ing si(es meet are collinear#4 The theorem first appeare( in print in 166+ in an appen(i7 to a !or) on perspecti e by &esargues0 frien( 8braham %osse# 1n this source is also foun( &esargues0 proof of the in ariance of cross ratio un(er pro9ection# &esargues0 Theorem states that if 8, %, , an( 8:, %:, ,: are t!o triangles in the (pro9ecti e) plane, the lines 88:, %%:, ,,: intersect in a single point ; if an( only if the intersections of correspon(ing si(es 8%, 8:%: in &< 8,, 8:,: in /< an( %,, %:,: in F lie on a single line =Figure 2#1># /ach of the ten lines in the figure are so arrange( that each contains three of the ten points an( each of the ten points lie on three of the ten lines# The proof of &esargues0 theorem in the plane is rea(ily (e(uce( as a corollary of the theorem in 2?space# 'roofs of both can be foun( in any pro9ecti e geometry boo)#

Figure 2#1

&esargues also !as concerne( !ith impro ing the e(ucation an( techni@ue of artists, engineers, an( stonecutters# $e !rote on sub9ects such as the cutting of stones for use in buil(ings, an( on sun(ials# $e also compose( a small han(boo) of musical composition# &esargues !as familiar !ith 8pollonius0 !or) !ith conics an( felt he coul( intro(uce better metho(s for pro ing theorems about conics# $e began by organiAing a number of theorems an( their proofs that he (escribe( in letters, han(bills, an( free public lectures# 1n 1626 he !rote a small pamphlet on perspecti e# &esargues0 most important !or) Brouillon projet dune atteinte aux vnemens des rencontres dune cne avec un plan ('ropose( &raft for an essay on the results of ta)ing plane sections of a cone) !as printe( in 1629# 1n it &esargues

presente( inno ations in pro9ecti e geometry applie( to the theory of conic sections# 5ith this !or) he foun(e( the use of pro9ecti e metho(s in geometry, inspire( by the theory of perspecti e in art#

&esargues intro(uce( the notions of the opposite en(s of a straight line being regar(e( as coinci(ent, parallel lines meeting at a point of infinity an( regar(ing a straight line as circle !hose center is at infinity# &esargues ma(e the assumption that all the points at infinity lie on one line, !hich correspon(s to the horiAon line or anishing line of the image of a pro9ection# The a((ition of a ne! point on each line (i(n0t contra(ict any of the a7ioms of /ucli( but it (i( re@uire some change in !or(ing# 8 tangent !as then (efine( as the limiting case of a secant, an( an asymptote as a tangent at infinity# &esargues sho!e( that conics coul( be (iscusse( in terms of properties that are in ariant un(er pro9ection# Bohann Cepler ha( intro(uce( the point at infinity to parallel lines in 16D6, but for a (ifferent reason, so than he might gi e a (efinition of continuity# &esargues also stu(ie( a bun(le of planes through a point, finite or infinite#

;nly about fifty copies of &esargues0 small boo) !ere printe( an( (istribute( among his frien(s# Shortly thereafter all copies (isappeare( until a transcription ma(e by 'hilippe (e la $ire !as foun( in 1+65# 8bout 195D 'ierre -oisy foun( an original copy of the !or) in the %ibliothE@ue Fationale in 'aris# &esargues0 boo) is (ifficult to rea( because he intro(uce( ne! terminology, for instance calling a straight line a 3palm#4 5hen points !ere mar)e( out on the line he calle( it a 3trun)#4 $e calle( a cylin(rical soli( a 3roller4 an( uses the phrase 3bor(er of a roll cut4 for a conic section# $is purpose in using these unusual !or(s !as in the hope of establishing clarity by a oi(ing confusion !ith familiar terms#

5ith the e7ception of his frien(s, !ho !ere enthusiastic about his !or), most contemporaries thought he !as craAy# Fermat regar(e( &esargues as the real foun(er of the theory of conic sections# Gnli)e 8pollonius !ho treate( each type of conic separately, &esargues offere( a unifie( approach to the se eral types of conics through pro9ection an( section# $o!e er, soon thereafter, pro9ecti e geometry fell into obli ion, chiefly because the analytical geometry of &escartes !as ie!e( as a much more po!erful tool to proof or (isco ery# 'ro9ecti e geometry !oul( not be ta)en up again until the late 19th century, !hen the pupils of Haspar( -onge rein ente( it# 8t that time it !as (eri e( from (escripti e geometry, !hich ha( much in common !ith perspecti e#

'ainter "aurent (e la $yre, a frien( of &esargues employe( the latter0s i(eas of perspecti e in his Allegory of Geometry (1669), !hich !as one of the pieces of art commissione( by H.(eon Tallemant to (ecorate the gallery of his $otel in the -arais @uarter of 'aris# ;thers in the series of 8llegories of the "iberal 8rts !ereI -usic, Hrammar, -athematics, 8stronomy, an( &ialectics an( *hetoric# "a $yre portraye( Heometry as a young !oman !ho in her right han( hol(s a sheet of paper containing the Hol(en Section an( three classic /ucli(ean proofs# 1n her left han( she hol(s a compass an( a right angle e(ge# The bac)groun( of the painting contains a gri( (isplaying the ,artesian coor(inates an( symbolic ob9ects inclu(ing a globe, a sna)e, a sarcophagus, an( a sphin7#

Quotation of the DayI 31 freely confess that 1 ne er ha( a taste for stu(y or research either in physics or geometry e7cept in so far as they coul( ser e as a means of arri ing at some sort of )no!le(ge of the pro7imate causes J for the goo( an( con enience of life, in maintaining health, in the practice of some art J ha ing obser e( that a goo( part of the arts is base( on geometry, among others the cutting of stones in architecture, that of sun(ials, that of perspecti e in particular#4 Hirar( &esargues

You might also like