Herigone

Pierre Hérigone


Born: 1580 in France
Died: 1643 in Paris, France


Pierre Hérigone was of Basque origin. Little is known of his life except that he taught for most of it in Paris.

Hérigone's only important work is the 6 volume Cursus mathematicus which is a compendium of elementary mathematics written in French and Latin. It introduced a complete system of mathematical and logical notation, yet none is used today.

We know that Hérigone served on a number of committees and took a full part in the mathematical life of Paris. One committee which he served on was set up to judge whether Morin's scheme for determining longitude from the Moon's motion was practical. The committee members, in addition to Hérigone, were Étienne Pascal, Mydorge, Beaugrand, J C Boulenger and L de la Porte. Hérigone, and the rest of the committee, became involved in a dispute with Morin.