PONCELET, p5Ns'Ite, VICTOR (1788 1867). A French engineer and mathematician. born in Metz. From 1807 to 1810 he attended the Ecole Polytechnique, where he studied under Monge. In 181:2 he entered the army as lieutenant of engineers, and was made prisoner on the retreat of the French from Mos cow. He was taken to Saratov, on the Volga. where, away from all scientific assistance, he laid the foundations of projective geometry. On his return to Metz (18141 he continued his in vestigations. He found. however, no recognition in the Paris Academy, and therefore published his contributions in Crellc's dournal. In 1829 be collected these essays in the des proprieWs projeetires des figures ( 2d ed., 2 vols.. 1865-66). lie then turned hi- attention to ap plied mechanics and published several works on the subject. In 1835 he became professor of applied mechanics at Paris. and in 1848 he was raised to the rank of general. in 1S'51 he went to London as president of a commission to the international Exhibition, and later published a report upon his mission. llachinrs et (mills ap imopries our arts textiles (3 vols.. 1834-621. in
the Collection des fro rata de la commission fran raise, which is of great importance in the history of technical science. He published in more com plete form the work which he began at Saratov in the Applications d'analyse et de Oome'trie (1862-G4). Poncelet is the real founder of modern geometry. and had a very strong in fluence on German goetnetry. although he found little recognition in France. Some of his other works are: Sur les roues kph-antiques rcrticales (1826) : Tht'orie des (-frets nakmniqurs de hr tur bine Fon rue !Iron (1q33) lishie.c, jointly with Lebros (1832) ; Introduction it to tat'canique industrielle, physique on exiWri ?lumbar (1829: 3d ed. 1;711: Gem-man trans. 1841-45); Cones de ttWeanique appliquee aux machines (1845: 3d ed. 1874-76; German trans. 1845-49). Consult: Didion, Yotice sum- la tie et b-s out-raqes du gett('ral Pfnleelet ( Paris. 1869) : Bertrand, "Eloge historiqne de Poncelet." in the 3U-nmoircs Jr l'_lcrrdcrnie des Sciences Wm.. 18791.