French mathematician who was educated at École Polytechnique (1839-1841) and Écoles des Mines (1841-1844). He became
professor at École Polytechnique, and the College de France (1862). He was also a member of the Académie des sciences
(1856) and the Académie française (1884).
Bertrand is known for his applications of differential equations to physics, especially thermodynamics. He also performed
research on infinitesimal analysis, theory of functions, thermodynamics, and probability. He proposed
Bertrand's postulate,
which was subsequently proved by Chebyshev.
Bertrand also wrote also many scientific biographies.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Sur la convergence des séries. 1842.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Sur la propagation du son. 1846.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Sur la théorie des phénomènes capillaires. 1848.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Traité d'arithmétique, 3rd ed. Paris, 1862.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Traité de Calcul différentiel et intégral, 2 vols. Paris: Gauthier-Villars, 1864-1870.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Thermodynamique. 1887.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Calcul des probabilités, 2nd ed. Paris: Gauthier-Villars, 1897.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Leçons sur la théorie mathématique de l'électricité. 1890.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Les fondateurs de l'astronomie moderne, Copernic, Tycho Brahé, Képler, Galilée, Newton. Paris: Hetzel, 1865.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Rapport sur les progrés les plus récents de l'analyse mathématique. 1867.
Bertrand, J. L. F. L'Académie des sciences et les académiciens, de 1666 à 1793. 1868.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Blaise Pascal. Paris: Hachette, 1890.
Bertrand, J. L. F. Eloges académiques, 2 vols. Paris: Hachette, 1890 and 1902.
Feddersen, B. W. and Oettingen, A. J. von (Eds.). Biographisch-literarisches Handwörterbuch zur Geschichte der exacten Wissenschaften, Vol. 3.
Leipzig, Germany: Johann Ambrosiuis Barth, 1898.
Oettingen, A. J. von (Ed.). Biographisch-literarisches Handwörterbuch zur Geschichte der exacten Wissenschaften, Vol. 4.
Leipzig, Germany: Johann Ambrosiuis Barth, 1904.