Abraham de Moivre
Who was Abraham de Moivre?
French mathematician (*1667 – †1754)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Abraham de Moivre (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Abraham de Moivre, born on May 26, 1667, in Vitry-le-François, France, came from a Protestant Huguenot family. He began his education at the Academy of Sedan and the Academy of Saumur, both linked to the Huguenot community, before moving to Paris to study at the collège d'Harcourt. His studies covered mathematics, logic, and natural sciences, setting the stage for a career that made him one of the leading mathematicians of the eighteenth century.
When the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685, leading to severe persecution of French Protestants, de Moivre joined thousands of Huguenots fleeing to England. He settled in London and lived there for the rest of his life. Despite his talents, he couldn't secure a permanent academic role in England, partly due to being a foreigner. He made a living by tutoring mathematics, visiting students' homes, or meeting clients in coffeehouses.
In London, de Moivre got to know some of the top scientific minds of the time. He became friends with Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1697. Newton reportedly recommended de Moivre to students seeking math help, acknowledging his expertise. De Moivre also maintained professional connections with James Stirling and fellow Huguenot exile Pierre des Maizeaux.
De Moivre made important contributions to mathematics. He is best known for de Moivre's formula, linking complex numbers and trigonometry, which helps in computing powers of a complex number. His work in probability was also crucial. He published "De mensura sortis" in 1711 and expanded it into "The Doctrine of Chances" in 1718, a key reference for gamblers and mathematicians. He was the first to propose a version of the central limit theorem and independently discovered what is now Binet's formula for Fibonacci numbers, connecting them to the golden ratio.
Abraham de Moivre died on November 27, 1754, in London at eighty-seven. A famous story claims he predicted his death date by noticing he slept fifteen minutes longer each day and calculating when he'd sleep an entire day. This tale adds a colorful aspect to his biography. Despite not securing professorships or royal sponsorship, his works earned him a lasting reputation in Europe both during his life and after.
Before Fame
Abraham de Moivre grew up in France when there was a lot of religious tension. As a Huguenot, his education was influenced by the Protestant academic institutions available before they were suppressed, like the academies at Sedan and Saumur. He later studied in Paris at the collège d'Harcourt, where he gained a deeper understanding of mathematics. The Edict of Fontainebleau in 1685 forced him into exile, completely changing his life and sending him to England before he could establish a career.
In London, de Moivre worked as a tutor while diving into advanced mathematical studies, often reading pages of Newton's Principia Mathematica between tutoring sessions. This time of self-directed learning and making connections, especially with Newton and Halley, was crucial for his future. His election to the Royal Society in 1697 was his official recognition in the British scientific community, opening opportunities that had been unavailable to him as a modestly funded foreign emigrant.
Key Achievements
- Formulated de Moivre's formula, linking complex numbers and trigonometry through the relationship (cos x + i sin x)^n = cos(nx) + i sin(nx)
- Pioneered probability theory through De mensura sortis (1711) and The Doctrine of Chances (1718)
- First postulated the central limit theorem and proved a special case of it, a cornerstone of modern statistics
- Independently discovered the closed-form expression for Fibonacci numbers later attributed to Binet, predating Binet by more than a century
- Elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1697, becoming a recognized member of England's foremost scientific institution
Did You Know?
- 01.De Moivre is said to have predicted the exact date of his own death by calculating when his daily sleep increments of fifteen minutes would total a full twenty-four hours, arriving at 27 November 1754, the day he died.
- 02.Isaac Newton reportedly told students who came to him with mathematical questions to consult de Moivre instead, saying that de Moivre understood the subject better than he did.
- 03.Despite being one of the most accomplished mathematicians in England, de Moivre was never offered a university professorship, likely because of his status as a French immigrant, and spent his career as a private tutor.
- 04.De Moivre independently discovered what later became known as Binet's formula for calculating Fibonacci numbers using the golden ratio, predating the mathematician for whom the formula is named by over a century.
- 05.The Doctrine of Chances, his treatise on probability, was reportedly so practically useful that it was prized and used by professional gamblers seeking mathematical advantages.