The genius of Laplace was a perfect sledge hammer in bursting purely mathematical obstacles; but, like that useful instrument, it gave neither finish nor beauty to the results. In truth, in truism if the reader please, Laplace was neither Lagrange nor Euler, as every student is made to feel. The second is power and symmetry, the third power and simplicity; the first is power without either symmetry or simplicity. But, nevertheless, Laplace never attempted investigation of a subject without leaving upon it the marks of difficulties conquered: sometimes clumsily, sometimes indirectly, always without minuteness of design or arrangement of detail; but still, his end is obtained and the difficulty is conquered.

Augustus de Morgan

Mots clés science truth power beauty genius admiration investigation difficulty simplicity scientists praise design obstacles results mathematics symmetry detail instrument conquer clumsy indirect lagrange laplace pierre-simon-laplace euler leonhard-euler joseph-louis-lagrange

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The history of the astronomy of the nineteenth century will be incomplete without a catalogue of his labours. He was one of the founders of the Astronomical Society, and his attention to its affairs was as accurate and minute as if it had been a firm of which he was the chief clerk, with expectation of being taken into partnership.

Augustus de Morgan

Mots clés science history admiration expectation praise astronomy recognition attention labour accurate incomplete nineteenth-century chief astronomical-society baily founder francis-baily

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