Born: 1706 (Paris, France)
Died: 1749
Biography:
Gabrielle Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet (French pronunciation: [emili dy ʃɑtlɛ] (listen); 17 December 1706 – 10 September 1749) was a French natural philosopher and mathematician from the early 1730s until her death due to complications during childbirth in 1749.
Émilie du Châtelet was born on December 17, 1706, in Paris, France. She was the daughter of Louis Nicolas le Tonnelier de Breteuil, who held various government positions. Despite growing up in a society that did not encourage the education of women, du Châtelet showed exceptional intellectual abilities from a young age. She received a private education, studying literature, philosophy, and languages.
At the age of 18, Émilie du Châtelet married Florent-Claude du Châtelet, who was considerably older than her. Their marriage provided Émilie with financial stability and access to an extensive library, allowing her to pursue her intellectual interests. However, their marriage was not a harmonious one, and Émilie soon sought intellectual and emotional companionship outside her marriage.
During her lifetime, Émilie du Châtelet made numerous contributions to mathematics and physics. Her most recognized achievement is her translation of and commentary on Isaac Newton’s 1687 book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, a groundbreaking work that established the basic laws of physics. Du Châtelet’s translation, published posthumously in 1756, is still considered the standard French translation of Newton’s work.
In addition to her translation, Émilie du Châtelet made significant contributions to Newtonian mechanics. She postulated an additional conservation law for total energy, which included the kinetic energy of motion as one element. This conceptualization of energy and its quantitative relationships to mass and velocity of an object were groundbreaking at the time. Her work in this area laid the groundwork for future developments in the field of physics.
Furthermore, Émilie du Châtelet’s philosophical magnum opus, Institutions de Physique (Paris, 1740, first edition; Foundations of Physics), circulated widely and generated heated debates. The book was republished and translated into several other languages within two years of its original publication. It contributed to the famous vis viva debate, which concerned the best way to measure the force of a body and the best means of thinking about conservation principles.
Émilie du Châtelet’s ideas and contributions were highly regarded by her contemporaries and had a profound impact on the intellectual landscape of the time. Her work influenced the famous text of the French Enlightenment, the Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert, which was published shortly after her death. Her ideas are still studied and discussed by philosophers, scientists, and historians today.
Though Émilie du Châtelet faced many challenges and struggles as a woman in a male-dominated field, she persisted in her pursuit of knowledge and made significant contributions to science and philosophy. She challenged societal norms and advocated for the education and empowerment of women. Her life and work continue to inspire and serve as a reminder of the important role women have played in shaping the intellectual and scientific landscape.