Joseph Fourier

French mathematician and physicist (1768 – 1830)
Person human Q8772
Joseph Fourier
Julien-Léopold Boilly · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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Joseph Fourier

Summary

Joseph Fourier is a human[1]. He was born in Auxerre[2]. He was born on March 21, 1768[3]. He died in Paris[4]. He died on May 16, 1830[5]. He worked as a mathematician[6], physicist[7], historian[8], archaeologist[9], and university teacher[10]. He ranks in the top 0.68% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (520 views/month, #6,781 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Joseph Fourier was born in Auxerre[2].
  • Joseph Fourier died in Paris[4].
  • Joseph Fourier was born on March 21, 1768[3].
  • Joseph Fourier died on May 16, 1830[5].
  • Joseph Fourier is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery[12].
  • Joseph Fourier is buried at Grave of Fourier[13].
  • Joseph Fourier held citizenship in France[14].
  • Joseph Fourier's professions included mathematician[6].
  • Joseph Fourier worked as a physicist[7].
  • Joseph Fourier's professions included historian[8].
  • Joseph Fourier's professions included archaeologist[9].
  • Joseph Fourier worked as a university teacher[10].
  • Joseph Fourier worked as an official[15].
  • Joseph Fourier's field of work was mathematical analysis[16].
  • Joseph Fourier's field of work was mathematics[17].
  • Joseph Fourier's field of work was physics[18].
  • Joseph Fourier's field of work was African studies[19].
  • Joseph Fourier's field of work was study of history[20].
  • Joseph Fourier's field of work was archaeology[21].
  • Joseph Fourier held the position of seat 5 of the Académie française[22].
  • Joseph Fourier held the position of Prefect of Isère[23].
  • Joseph Fourier held the position of Prefect of Rhône[24].
  • Among Joseph Fourier's employers was École polytechnique[25].
  • Joseph Fourier was employed by Commission des Sciences et des Arts[26].
  • Among Joseph Fourier's employers was French Academy of Sciences[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Joseph Fourier's place of birth was Auxerre[2]. He was born on March 21, 1768[3].

Education

Educated at École normale[28], a course[29], in France[30]; Fleury Abbey[31], an abbey[32], in France[33], founded in 0651[34]; and Royal Abbey of Saint-Germain d'Auxerre[35], a Royal abbey[36], in France[37], founded in 1398[38], headquartered in Auxerre[39]. Joseph Fourier's doctoral advisor was Joseph-Louis Lagrange[40].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include mathematician[6], physicist[7], historian[8], archaeologist[9], university teacher[10], and official[15]. Fields of work include mathematical analysis[16], an academic discipline[41]; mathematics[17], an academic discipline[42]; physics[18], a branch of science[43]; African studies[19], an academic discipline[44]; study of history[20], an academic discipline[45]; and archaeology[21], an academic discipline[46]. Employers include École polytechnique[25], a grande école[47], in France[48], founded in 1794[49], headquartered in Palaiseau[50]; Commission des Sciences et des Arts[26], an organization[51], founded in 1798[52]; French Academy of Sciences[27], an academy of sciences[53], in France[54], founded in 1666[55], headquartered in Paris[56]; and Lycée Jacques-Amyot d'Auxerre[57], a school building[58], in France[59]. Positions held include seat 5 of the Académie française[22], a seat of a scientific academy[60]; Prefect of Isère[23], a position[61], in France[62]; and Prefect of Rhône[24], a position[63], in France[64]. A notable student of Joseph Fourier was Johann Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet[65]. Doctoral students include Johann Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet[66], Giovanni Plana[67], and Claude-Louis Navier[68].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Fourier series[69], Fourier transform[70], heat equation[71], Théorie analytique de la chaleur[72], and Fourier number for heat transfer[73]. Things named for Joseph Fourier include Fourier transform[74], Fourier series[75], fast Fourier transform[76], discrete Fourier transform[77], Fourier analysis[78], Fourier optics[79], separation of variables[80], and Fourier inversion theorem[81].

Recognition

Awards received include Officer of the Legion of Honour[82], a grade of an order[83], in France[84]; Grand prix des sciences mathématiques[85]; Foreign Member of the Royal Society[86]; and 72 names on the Eiffel Tower[87].

Death and Burial

Joseph Fourier died on May 16, 1830[5]. He passed away in Paris[4]. Recorded place of burial include Père Lachaise Cemetery[12] and Grave of Fourier[13].

Why It Matters

Joseph Fourier ranks in the top 0.68% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (520 views/month, #6,781 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[88] He is known by 29 alternative names across languages and contexts.[89]

He has been cited as an influence by Enrico Fermi[90], a physicist[91], 1901–1954[92], of Kingdom of Italy[93], awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics[94], specialised in nuclear physics[95] and Adolphe Quetelet[96], an astronomer[97], 1796–1874[98], of Belgium[99], awarded the Foreign Member of the Royal Society[100], specialised in mathematics[101].

He is credited with the discovery of heat equation[102], a parabolic partial differential equation[103] and Fourier–Motzkin elimination[104], an algorithm[105]. Entities named for him include Fourier transform[74], Fourier series[75], fast Fourier transform[76], discrete Fourier transform[77], Fourier analysis[78], and Fourier optics[79].

His notable doctoral advisees include Johann Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet[106], a mathematician[107], 1805–1859[108], awarded the Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order[109], specialised in number theory[110]; Claude-Louis Navier[111], a physicist[112], 1785–1836[113], of France[114], awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour[115], specialised in mechanics[116]; and Giovanni Plana[117].

FAQs

Where was Joseph Fourier born?

Born in Auxerre[2], Joseph Fourier…

Where did Joseph Fourier die?

Joseph Fourier died in Paris[4].

What did Joseph Fourier do for work?

Joseph Fourier worked as mathematician[6], physicist[7], historian[8], archaeologist[9], and university teacher[10].

Where did Joseph Fourier go to school?

Joseph Fourier was educated at École normale[28], Fleury Abbey[31], and Royal Abbey of Saint-Germain d'Auxerre[35].

What awards did Joseph Fourier receive?

Honors received include Officer of the Legion of Honour[82], Grand prix des sciences mathématiques[85], Foreign Member of the Royal Society[86], and 72 names on the Eiffel Tower[87].

Who did Joseph Fourier influence?

Joseph Fourier has been cited as an influence by Enrico Fermi[90] and Adolphe Quetelet[96].

What did Joseph Fourier discover?

Joseph Fourier is credited as discoverer of heat equation[102] and Fourier–Motzkin elimination[104].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [14] . wikidata.org.
  4. [22] . academie-francaise.fr. Retrieved . academie-francaise.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  5. [23] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  6. [24] . wikidata.org.
  7. [28] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
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  23. [26] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  24. [27] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  25. [57] . mathouriste.eu. mathouriste.eu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [12] . Le cimetière du Père-Lachaise. wikidata.org.
  27. [13] . wikidata.org.
  28. [82] . mathouriste.eu. mathouriste.eu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  29. [85] . wikidata.org.
  30. [86] . Complete List of Royal Society Fellows 1660-2007. wikidata.org.
  31. [87] . toureiffel.paris. toureiffel.paris. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  32. [40] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  33. [66] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  34. [67] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  35. [68] . wikidata.org.
  36. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  37. [5] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  38. [69] . wikidata.org.
  39. [70] . wikidata.org.
  40. [71] . wikidata.org.
  41. [72] . wikidata.org.
  42. [73] . wikidata.org.
  43. [65] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

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Inline context (facts about related entities)

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Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

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  2. [88] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [89] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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