Pascal’s principle, in fluid (gas or liquid) mechanics, statement that, in a fluid at rest in a closed container, a pressure change in one part is transmitted without loss to every portion of the fluid and to the walls of the container. The principle wa
It follows that the shear stresses are everywhere zero in a fluid at rest and in equilibrium, and from this it follows that the pressure (that is, force per unit area) acting perpendicular to all planes in the fluid is the same irrespective of their orientation (Pascal’s law). For an ...
Independently of Descartes, Fermat discovered the fundamental principle of analytic geometry. His methods for finding tangents to curves and their maximum and minimum points led him to be regarded as the inventor of the differential calculus. Through his correspondence with Blaise Pascal he was a co...