MoM Ep14: Gaspard Monge
From Magic Internet Math by Brian HIrschfield and Rob Hamilton
February 9, 2026 · 7 min · Season 2 · Episode 14
About this episode
This episode discusses Gaspard Monge's contributions to mathematics and education, particularly his invention of descriptive geometry.
This podcast episode of Men of Mathematics discusses Gaspard Monge, the inventor of descriptive geometry and founder of the École Polytechnique, whose work significantly shaped technical education. Key Topics: Descriptive Geometry École Polytechnique Optimal Transport Problem French Revolution's Impact on Education Monge's relationship with Napoleon Summary: Gaspard Monge, born in 1746 in Burgundy to a knife grinder, displayed exceptional mathematical abilities early in life. His talent led him to a military school where he invented a groundbreaking method for designing fortresses. This method, known as descriptive geometry, was classified as a military secret for 15 years due to its strategic value. Monge's descriptive geometry provided a systematic way to represent three-dimensional objects in two-dimensional drawings using multiple views to capture spatial information precisely. This innovation revolutionized architecture and engineering, replacing immeasurable perspective drawings with a precise language for 3D design. His work evolved from stereotomy, the ancient art of stone cutting, making it mathematical and applicable to various fields. In 1781, Monge introduced the…
People in this episode
Hosts: Brian Hirschfield, Rob Hamilton
Topics covered
- Descriptive Geometry
- École Polytechnique
- Optimal Transport Problem
- French Revolution's Impact on Education
- Monge's relationship with Napoleon
Keywords
- Gaspard Monge
- descriptive geometry
- École Polytechnique
- optimal transport problem
- French Revolution
- mathematics
- engineering
- architecture
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: École Polytechnique
Books & works: descriptive geometry, optimal transport problem
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