Mathematical Treasure: Works of a Teacher of Descartes

Jean François (1582–1668) was a Jesuit scholar and professor of philosophy and mathematics at the Jesuit college at La Flèche in northeastern France. Rene Descartes was one of his pupils. François was mainly known for his work in geography and cartography, but he did also publish several works on mathematics. In his L’Arithmétique et la Géométrie Pratique (1657), he stressed the applied nature of mathematics.

In the opening section of his book, François discussed the properties of varied geometric figures.

Later in the text, he discussed surveying and the layout of specific plots: gardens, parks, etc.

In a more philosophical vein, François also authored a book on quantity, Traité de la Quantitée (1655).

An opening illustration of a celestial sphere:

The table of contents provides an outline of the topics considered:

The full works can be viewed courtesy of the University of Bordeaux, Library of Science and Technology, through BabordNum.

Index to Mathematical Treasures