Blasie Pascal


	Blasie Pascal was born in Clermont-Ferrand on June 19, 1623.  As a young boy, 
Pascal was a mathematical prodigy.  At the age of 16 he formulated a theorem of 
projective geometry.  At the age of nineteen he invented the first mechanical 
adding machine.

	Rather than just being a mathematician, Pascal was also a philosopher and 
physicist.  Pascal came up with Pascal's law.  It states that fluids transmit 
pressures equally in all directions.  He came up with this law after he proved 
that the level of the mercury column in a barometer is determined by an increase 
or decrease in the surrounding pressure.  In 1654, Pascal entered the Jansenist 
community at Port Royal.  Two years later he wrote the famous 18 Lettres 
provincials.  Lettres provincials means the Provincial Letters. In these he 
attacked the Jesuits for their attempts to reconcile 16th-century naturalism 
with orthodox Roman Catholicism.  He also wrote Apologie de la religion 
Chretienne and Pensees sur la religion et sur quelques autres sujets.  In 
Pensees he tried to explain and justify the difficulties of human life by the 
doctrine of sin.  He reasoned that the value of eternal happiness is infinite.  
His writings urge  acceptance of the Christian life  which contains application 
of the calculations of probability.  He died in August 19, 1662.