The French physicist Augustin Jean Fresnel (1788-1827), through his analysis of interference, diffraction, and polarization, turned the wave theory of light into an integral part of exact physical science. Augustin Jean Fresnel was born in Broglie on...

At the onset of the nineteenth century, the most widely accepted belief among physicists was that light was a particle that traveled through ether, an invisible substance that made up the heavens. Soon after the turn of the century, however, came the...

1788-1827 French engineer, mathematician, and physicist. Though trained as a civil engineer, his interest was in physical optics. He studied the nature of light and became convinced that light was composed of undulations, or waves, rather than...

Augustin-Jean Fresnel (pronounced /freɪˈnɛl/ fray-NELL in English, IPA: [fʁɛˈnɛl]] in French) (May 10, 1788 – July 14, 1827), was a French physicist who contributed significantly to the establishment of the theory of wave optics. Fresnel...

A French mathematician's innovative development of a powerful compound lens gave lighthouses the brilliant light beams which established their value as aids to navigation. As often happens in science, the man whose name became legion in lighthouse illumination - Augustin J. Fresnel -...

The Western tradition of autobiographical writing can be traced through the works of St. Augustine, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Samuel Beckett. St. Augustine's 'Confessions' represents the seminal work in the autobiographical tradition. Jean-Jacques Rousseau both continues and subverts the tradition in his 'Confessions,' followed by...