chambers_search-1

Search Chambers

Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.

Desargues, Gérard 1591-1661
French mathematician

Born in Lyons, he was in Paris by 1626, and he took part as an engineer in the Siege of La Rochelle in 1628. He founded the use of projective methods in geometry, inspired by the theory of perspective in art, and introduced the idea that parallel lines 'meet at a point at infinity'. His style of writing and a reluctance to publicize his ideas greatly hindered their reception and mostly they were independently rediscovered by others. From 1645 he began a new career as an architect in Paris and Lyons.