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LifeSpan
Best known for his work in chemical thermodynamics, Pierre Duham also contributed to hydrodynamics and to the theory of elasticity. A lesser-known French physicist, historian, and philosopher of science, Duhem “championed “energetics,” holding generalized thermodynamics as foundational for physical theory, that is, thinking that all of chemistry and physics, including mechanics, electricity, and magnetism, should be derivable from thermodynamic first principles” (Ariew, 2020). -
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Franco-Prussian War
Although he was too young to fight, the Franco-Prussian War, or Franco-German War, was a conflict between the French Empire and the North German Confederation that deeply affected Duhem's family. The soldiers of the war brought about the diphtheria epidemic that swept through France, who's casualties included Pierre's younger sister and infant brother in 1872. -
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Collège Stanislas in Paris
Duhem's first school of study was in Paris, where ... -
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Ecole Normale Supérieure
Duham excelled during his attendance of one of the so-called Grand Schools in France, Ecole Normale Supérieure, ranking first in his class in the Science Section. -
Rejected Thesis: Le Potentiel Thermodynamique
While attending Ecole Normale Supérieure, Duhem constructed his thesis on thermodynamic potential, which was presented to the board for his doctorate in physics. Duhem's thesis which “he defined the criterion for chemical reactions in terms of free energy” (Sack, 2019), was "rejected by a panel composed of three scholars: the physicist Gabriel Lippmann and the mathematicians Charles Hermite and Emile Picard" (Ariew, 2020). -
Published Thesis: Le Potentiel Thermodynamique
It was rumored that the panel seemed to have decided on the fate of the thesis before it was even presented, as the “prestigious French scientific publisher, Hermann, published a version of the thesis the following year” (Ariew, 2020). He was criticized for going against French chemist Marcellin Berthelot’s work decades earlier, yet Duhem went on to publish the rejected thesis two years later. -
Sur l’aimantation par influence
Received his doctorate in applied mathematics on the theory of magnetization, titled Sur l’aimantation par influence, which was accepted during its initial presentation. -
Married Adèle Chayet
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Daughter Hélène was born
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Wife Adèle died in childbirth
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Notation atomique et hypothèses atomistiques
Published in the journal Revue des Questions Scientifiques, 31: 391–454 -
Quelques réflexions au sujet des théories physiques
Published in the journal Revue des Questions Scientifiques, 31: 139–177 -
L’école anglaise et les théories physiques
Published in the journal Revue des Questions Scientifiques, 34: 345–78 -
Physique et métaphysique
Published in the journal Revue des Questions Scientifiques, 34: 55–83 -
Professor of theoretical physics at the University of Bordeaux
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Les théories de la chaleur
Published in the journal Revue des deux mondes, 129: 869–901, 130: 379–415 and 851–68. -
L’évolution des théories physiques du XVIIe siècle jusqu’à nos jours
Published in the journal Revue des questions scientifiques (2nd series), 40: 463–99 -
Les théories électriques de J. Clerk Maxwell: étude historique et critique
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Le mixte et la combinaison chimique
Duhem’s history of chemical combination published in book-form./ had jumped from Aristotle’s concept of mixtio to modern concepts. -
L’évolution de la mécanique
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La Théorie physique, son objet et sa structure
“Physical Theory, Its Aim and Structure”
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-Maurice-Marie-Duhem -
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Études sur Léonard de Vinci
Studies on Leonardo da Vinci. published a series of essays uncovering de Vinci’s medieval sources and their influences on modern concepts. -
Traité d’énergétique
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The World System; History of Cosmological Doctrines from Plato to Copernicus
This series of works eventually comprehended 10 volumes; but only five were completed by the time of his death. Le système du monde, histoire des doctrines cosmologiques de Platon à Copernic, 10 vols, Paris: Hermann.