Schooten, Frans van

1. Dates

Born: Leiden, ca. 1615 (Nieuw Nederlandsch Biographisch Woordenboek does not insert the "ca.")

Died: Leiden, 29 May 1660

Dateinfo: Birth Uncertain

Lifespan: 45

2. Father

Occupation: Academic, Engineer

Frans van Schooten (the elder), professor at the engineering school connected with Leiden. The father was also a military engineer.

No clear indication of financial status.

3. Nationality

Birth: Dutch

Career: Dutch

Death: Dutch

4. Education

Schooling: Leiden

Enrolled in Leiden in 1631. No source says anything about a degree, and given the tendency always to mention one, I assume then that Schooten did not persevere to one. He travelled to Paris and London about 1637, and there met the leading mathematicians. He was back in Leiden in 1643.

5. Religion

Affiliation: Calvinist

6. Scientific Disciplines

Primary: Mathematics

He was trained in mathematics at Leiden, and he met Descartes there in 1637 and read the proofs of his Geometry.

In Paris he collect manuscripts of the works of Viète, and in Leiden he published Viète's works.

He published the Latin edition of Descartes' Geometry. The much expanded second edition was extremely influential.

He also made his own contribution (modest, everyone agrees) to mathematics, especially in Exercitationes mathematicae, 1657.

7. Means of Support

Primary: Academia, Schoolmastering

1643, he became the assistant to his father.

1645, upon the death of his father, Schooten succeeded him in Leiden. He trained DeWitt, Huygens, Hudde, and Heuraet. In the 1640's (at least) he gave private lessons in mathematics in Leiden.

1644, he considered moving to The Hague to teach mathematics. Descartes recommended him to Constantijn Huygens as the tutor to his sons. However, since the Huygens boys were coming to Leiden, Schooten decided to remain there.

8. Patronage

Types: Scientist, Government Official, Aristrocrat

Descartes' introduction opened to Schooten the circle of natural philosophers and mathematicians around Mersenne in Paris. Descartes also recommended him to Constantijn Huygens to tutor his sons in mathematics, replacing Stampioen. Schooten tutored Christiann Huygens for a year. Descartes and Constatijn Huygens supported him for the position vacated by his father's death.

In some respects Schooten does not seem to have been as keyed in to patronage as most; thus he dedicated his edition of Viète to his teacher Gool. However, he dedicated this Exercitationes to Chanut, Descartes' friend and the French ambassador to Sweden.

He dedicated the first edition of the Latin Geometry of Descartes to Elizabeth van de Palts.

9. Technological Involvement

Type: None

10. Scientific Societies

Memberships: None

Schooten maintained a wide correspondence, especially with Descartes.

First in Paris and then in London (1641-3) he made the acquaintance of mathematical circles, with which he maintained a correspondence that is now lost.

Sources

1. J.E. Hofmann, "Frans van Schooten der Jüngere," Boethius, 2 (1962).
2. Nieuw Nederlandsch Biographisch Woordenboek.

Compiled by:

Richard S. Westfall

Department of History and Philosophy of Science

Indiana University

Note: the creators of the Galileo Project and this catalogue cannot answer email on geneological questions.