MAUPERTUIS, PIERRE LOUIS DE ( 1698-1759). A French mathemati cian and astronomer, born at Saint-Mato. His education was begun under a tutor, and in 1714 he went to Paris to the College of La Marche. In 171S he joined the army and soon attained the rank of lieutenant. Having acquired a taste for mathematics, lie resigned five years later and became adjoint ge'oinrtec in the Academy of Sciences at Paris, and in 1725 assocW. For the next seven years he devoted himself to the investigation of certain geometric problems, publishing his results in a series of memoirs. He was one of the first Frenehmen to master the teachings of Newton. Ile went to England in 1723 and was admitted to the Royal Society of London. The next year he returned to Basel and studied the integral calculus with Bernoulli. In 1730 lie conducted the expedition for measuring a degree of the meridian in Lapland. The re sults of this work confirmed Newton's theory of the flattening of the earth at the poles. It was on his return that he beeame acquainted with Voltaire and Samuel Kiinig. In 1740 Frederick the Great called him to Prussia, and he accom panied the King in the campaign in Silesia. Hay ing been taken prisoner by the Austrians at Mollwitz, Maupertuis was set free by Maria Theresa and returned to Paris. lie was elected
a member of the French Academy in 1743. but the next year lie was again called to Prussia and in 1740 became president of the Academy at Ber lin. In Konig came there as professor of philosophy, and lie and- Maupertuis were soon quarreling over the question of the discovery of infinitesimal calculus and of certain laws of which Maupertuis claimed to be the author. Voltaire sided with Kilnig and satirized Mauper tuis severely. Frederick interposed in behalf of Maupertuis, but to no avail. The latter, broken in health and spirit, returned to France, and in 1758 went to Basel, where lie died in a short time. Some of his chief works arc: XIII- la figure de la terre (1735); Diseours sur la pFn•al1sxi de la lune (1741) ; Diseours sur hi figure des asters (1742) ; Lettre .sur 1« comae dr 1712 (1742) ; Astronomic nautique (1745 and 1756) ; Essai de cosniologie ( 1750) ; .1/o up( rtiana on emits threes (Leyden, 1753). His collected works, in four volumes, were published in Paris in 1752 and again in Lyons in 1768, under the title, Eut•rcs (.01111)10es dc 31. de ilaupertnis. Consult: De la Ilanmelle. Vie de .11aupertuis (Paris. 1856) Damiron, Me:noires stir Mauper tuis (Paris, 1858).