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applied mathematician and physicist. In probability theory he formulated
the Poisson distribution. Poisson's ratio in elasticity is the ratio of
the lateral contraction of a body to its longitudinal extension. The ratio
is constant for a given material. Much of Poisson's work involved applying mathematical principles in theoretical terms to contemporary and prior experiments in physics, particularly with reference to electricity, magnetism, heat, and sound. Poisson was also responsible for a formulation of the 'law of large numbers', which he introduced in his work on probability theory, Recherches sur la probabilité des jugements/Researches on the Probability of Opinions 1837. Poisson was born in Pithiviers, Loirel, and studied in Paris at the Ecole Polytechnique, where he became professor 1806. In 1808 he was appointed astronomer at the Bureau des Longitudes, and the following year he was appointed professor of mechanics at the Faculty of Sciences. From 1820 he was an administrator at the highest level in France's educational system. Poisson's works include Treatise on Mechanics 1833, Mathematical Theory of Heat 1835, and Researches on the Movement of Projectiles in Air 1835, the first account of the effects of the Earth's rotation on motion. |