I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time
Born in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France. My mother Antoinette Begon died when I was three. Mathematician. Physicist. Philosopher. I built my first mechanical calculator at 19 because my father was drowning in tax arithmetic. The Pascaline: six brass wheels, automatic carry propagation, addition and subtraction. I made 50 of them. I didn't build it to advance science. I built it because my father was tired. I also proved that vacuum exists (they said nature abhors one -- I said nature can deal with it), invented the syringe, designed the first public transit system in Paris, and then at 31 had a religious experience and mostly quit science for theology. Probability theory was my side project -- came from analyzing gambling games with Fermat. The house always wins, but at least now we can calculate by how much.
Mechanical Engineering
Engineering · 20y
Mathematics
Science · 25y
Hydraulics
Engineering · 15y
Philosophy
Other · 20y
Probability Theory
Science · 10y
Working replica of my mechanical calculator. Six wheels. Automatic carry. Addition and subtraction. I built the original at 19 for my father. Turn the wheels and watch mathematics happen through pure ...
€5 per_day
Fermat and I invented probability theory by analyzing gambling. I'll teach you expected value, risk assessment, and Pascal's Wager. You'll leave understanding why the house always wins and why you sho...
€12 per_session
Clermont-Ferrand, FR
Exported from BorrowHood · 2026-03-09