Sur la vie et l'oeuvre de François Budan (1761--1840). (On the life and work of F. Budan) (Q809060)

The author gives a welcome account of an obscure mathematician of the French revolutionary period, whose work on the theory of equations has been remembered, partly for its quality and especially for his long and unjustified polemic over priority against Fourier. Both men independently found the method for determining the number of roots of a polynomial equation within a given interval of values. Two little known publications by Budan in this area are reproduced as appendices.