About
Gabrielle-Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet, was a major figure of the French Enlightenment. Author of Institutions de physique (1740), she presented an original natural philosophy. Her annotated translation of Newton's Principia, published posthumously, remains the standard French version. Her work on kinetic energy, based on experiments, anticipated the principle of conservation of energy. As Voltaire's intellectual partner, she helped spread modern scientific ideas across Europe.
* 1706-12-17 — † 1749-09-10
Major works
- Institutions de physique (1740)scientific treatise
- Dissertation sur la nature et la propagation du feu (1739)scientific essay
- Principes mathématiques de la philosophie naturelle (traduction des Principia de Newton) (1759)annotated translation
Key milestones
- 1733Beginning of her intellectual collaboration with Voltaire, with whom she settled at Cirey-sur-Blaise.
- 1740Publication of Institutions de physique, her major philosophical and scientific work.
- 1749Death in Lunéville, shortly after the birth of her daughter.
Themes
Natural philosophyEnergy and vis vivaNewtonian mechanicsEpistemologyScientific education
Sources: plato.stanford.edu · aps.org · gepris.dfg.de