Isaac Mathieu Weill (24 May 1851 – 5 November 1939) was a French

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

and principal of the

Collège Chaptal In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

Biography

Mathieu Weill was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Haguenau Haguenau (; or ; ; historical ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Département in France, department of France, of which it is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture. It is second in size in the Bas-Rhin only to Strasbourg ...

, the son of Valentine and Isidore Weill, a mathematics teacher. He was educated in the

lyceums The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...

Burg The German word Burg means castle. Burg or Bürg may refer to: Places Placename element * ''-burg'', a combining form in Dutch, German and English placenames * Burg, a variant of burh, the fortified towns of Saxon England Settlements * Burg, Aar ...

and Strasburg, and was admitted to the

École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

in 1870. He received a degree in mathematics in November 1872, and a degree in physical sciences in November 1876. Meanwhile, Weill began studies at the military school in

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

in 1872. He attained the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

, but resigned in April 1877. He married Delphine Lévi in 1878, with whom he had four children. That same year, he became a lecturer at the

at Paris. He was appointed professor of mathematics in 1881, and in October 1898 the school's principal. He was appointed Chevalier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on 28 February 1904.

Publications

Weill published several essays in French mathematical journals, including the ''

Nouvelles Annales de Mathématiques The ''Nouvelles Annales de Mathématiques'' (subtitled ''Journal des candidats aux écoles polytechnique et normale'') was a French scientific journal in mathematics. It was established in 1842 by Olry Terquem and Camille-Christophe Gerono, and c ...

'' and the ''

Bulletin de la Société Mathématique de France '' Bulletin de la Société Mathématique de France'' is a mathematics journal published quarterly by Société Mathématique de France. Founded in 1873, the journal publishes articles on mathematics. It publishes articles in French and English. T ...

''. He was the author of "Cours de Géométrie Analytique" (1888) and of "Précis d'Arithmétique, de Géométrie, d'Algèbre, de Trigonométrie," in four volumes (1895–1897).

References

1851 births 1939 deaths 19th-century French mathematicians 20th-century French mathematicians Knights of the Legion of Honour École Polytechnique alumni 19th-century French Jews Heads of schools in France French geometers {{mathematician-stub