André-Marie AMPERE – Rare letter on the Academy of Sciences.

André-Marie AMPERE  (1775.1836)

Autographed letter signed to Mr. Hachette, professor at the Faculty of Sciences.

Three quarto pages. Autograph address. Collector's stamp on the 3rd ^leaf .

[Paris]. Thursday, April 30, 1829

Rare letter from the French scientist mentioning his colleague from the Academy of Sciences.

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"My dear and excellent friend, Mr. Frédéric Cuvier having come to see me this morning, I gave him the letter that you were kind enough to write me yesterday , and as we are both extremely keen to take the Versailles exams with you, we have agreed that, in accordance with what you tell me in this letter, the three of us will go to Versailles on Thursday evening. I thought the best thing for us to do is for you to come to dinner that day, as well as Frédéric, with me, at 5 o'clock sharp so that we can be at the Versailles carriage by 7 o'clock. I will have reserved the three seats in the coupé for the three of us two days ago; a cab, taken at 6:30 from my house, will take us to the office of the reserved carriage."

Before discussing this project with Mr. Frédéric Cuvier, I wanted to know if it suited you, although I see no reason why you wouldn't be so kind as to agree. Therefore, I ask you to let me know in writing that you will meet us at my home at 5:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 7th (that is, next week), to leave at 6:30 a.m. for Versailles. Upon arrival, we will inform the headmaster that we will begin the exams first thing the following morning , and we will arrange with him so that all six exams can be completed during the four sessions on Friday and Saturday. As soon as you have written to me—and I beg you, with all due respect, that this arrangement is acceptable to you—I will write to Frédéric to invite him; I am confident of his agreement. Please convey to Madame Hachette, and accept for yourself, the assurance of my sincere friendship and complete devotion. A. Ampère – Thursday, April 30, 1829. I am now reading your descriptive geometry in order to prepare the report that I intend to send to the Minister before our departure for Versailles.

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A self-taught man, Ampère contributed to the development of mathematics by introducing it into physics. He made important discoveries in the field of electromagnetism, laying the theoretical foundations and uncovering the basics of the electronics of matter. He also invented numerous devices and apparatuses such as the solenoid, the electric telegraph, and the electromagnet.

Considered the precursor of the mathematization of physics, and one of the last universal scientists, Ampère is the creator of the vocabulary of electricity (he invented the terms "current" and "voltage") and his name has been given to the international unit of electric current intensity: the Ampere.

His name is among the seventy-two scholars inscribed on the Eiffel Tower.

A museum is dedicated to him in Poleymieux-au-Mont-d'Or (near Lyon) where he spent his early years.