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Pierre-Simon Laplace Biography

Pierre-Simon Laplace

Pierre-Simon, marquis de Laplace (/ləˈplɑːs/; French: [pjɛʁ simɔ̃ laplas]; 23 March 1749 – 5 March 1827) was a French scholar whose work was important to the development of mathematics, statistics, physics and astronomy. He summarised and extended the work of his predecessors in his five-volume Mécanique Céleste (Celestial Mechanics) (1799–1825). This work translated the geometric study of classical mechanics to one based on calculus, opening up a broader range of problems. In statistics, the Bayesian interpretation of probability was developed mainly by Laplace.

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Pierre-Simon Laplace Quotes

What we know here is very little, but what we are ignorant of is immense.

Ignorance, Ignorant, Immense, Know, Knowledge

I have no need for that hypothesis.

Hypothesis, Needs

All the effects of Nature are only the mathematical consequences of a small number of immutable laws.

Art, Beauty, Consequences, Nature, Number, Small

His last words, according to De Morgan: Man follows only phantoms.

According, Lasts, Men, Morgan, Phantoms

I see with much pleasure that you are working on a large work on the integral Calculus [. . . ] The reconciliation of the methods which you are planning to make, serves to clarify them mutually, and what they have in common contains very often their true metaphysics; this is why that metaphysics is almost the last thing that one discovers. The spirit arrives at the results as if by instinct; it is only on reflecting upon the route that it and others have followed that it succeeds in generalising the methods and in discovering its metaphysics.

Mutually, Reflecting Upon, Science, See, Spirit, Succeed

The telescope sweeps the sky without finding God.

Finding, God, Science, Sky, Telescope, Telescopes

The simplicity of nature is not to be measured by that of our conceptions. Infinitely varied in its effects, nature is simple only in its causes, and its economy consists in producing a great number of phenomena, often very complicated, by means of a small number of general laws.

Infinitely, Mean, Nature, Science, Simplicity, Small

Napoleon: You have written this huge book on the system of the world without once mentioning the author of the universe. Laplace: Sire, I had no need of that hypothesis. Later when told by Napoleon about the incident, Lagrange commented: Ah, but that is a fine hypothesis. It explains so many things.

Author, Book, Mentioning, Needs, Sire, World

The weight of evidence for an extraordinary claim must be proportioned to its strangeness.

Claims, Evidence, Extraordinary, Strangeness, Weight

If an event can be produced by a number n of different causes, the probabilities of the existence of these causes, given the event (prises de l'événement), are to each other as the probabilities of the event, given the causes: and the probability of each cause is equal to the probability of the event, given that cause, divided by the sum of all the probabilities of the event, given each of the causes.

Causes, Events, Given, Numbers, Probabilities, Science

Your Highness, I have no need of this hypothesis.

Highness, Humorous, Hypothesis, Inspirational, Witty

Read Euler, read Euler. He is the master of us all.

Euler, Master, Masters, Read

The theory of probabilities is basically only common sense reduced to a calculus. It makes one estimate accurately what right-minded people feel by a sort of instinct, often without being able to give a reason for it.

Calculus, Common Sense, People, Reduced, Science, Sort

It is interesting thus to follow the intellectual truths of analysis in the phenomena of nature. This correspondence, of which the system of the world will offer us numerous examples, makes one of the greatest charms attached to mathematical speculations.

Correspondence, Examples, Intellectual, Interesting, Law, Science

"Read Euler: he is our master in everything. "

Euler, Everything, Masters, Math, Read

However, the small probability of a similar encounter [of the earth with a comet], can become very great in adding up over a huge sequence of centuries. It is easy to picture to oneself the effects of this impact upon the Earth. The axis and the motion of rotation changed; the seas abandoning their old position to throw themselves toward the new equator; a large part of men and animals drowned in this universal deluge, or destroyed by the violent tremor imparted to the terrestrial globe.

Animal, Men, Motion, Science, Throw, Violent

[Science] dissipates errors born of ignorance about our true relations with nature, errors the more damaging in that the social order should rest only on those relations. TRUTH! JUSTICE! Those are the immutable laws. Let us banish the dangerous maxim that it is sometimes useful to depart from them and to deceive or enslave mankind to assure its happiness.

Dangerous, Errors, Ignorance, Immutable, Maxim, Science

To Napoleon on why his works on celestial mechanics make no mention of God: Your Highness, I have no need of this hypothesis.

God, Hypothesis, Mechanic, Mechanics, Mention, Needs

The most important questions of life are indeed, for the most part, really only problems of probability.

Important, Probability, Problem, Problems, Questions, Risk

Do you believe in god? I have no need for that hypothesis, he may be around though.

Believe, Hypothesis, May, Needs, Though

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