Edmilie Du Châtelet Women's Role In The Enlightenment
Dear Nacho Committee,
I am writing to happily nominate Émilie du Châtelet for the National Award Celebrating Historical Outstanding-ness (NACHO).
Émilie du Châtelet is very worthy of the NACHO because her input to the science community during the Enlightenment was very influential. She influenced the way women in fields of science were viewed, the acceptance of science along with religion and what we learn in physics today.
Women’s role in the Enlightenment and du Châtelet
During the Enlightenment, women were told that they only needed to be educated in how to be a wife and a mother. Everything else was kept to a minimal. It was frowned upon for them to even read novels because it was said to encourage idleness and corruption. They were …show more content…
seen as unqualified for official jobs in fields such as science and politics.
Luckily, Émilie du Châtelet was one of few to stray away from the traditional view of women.
This was able to happen because she had the privilege of being born into an upper class family with an aristocrat father who feared that she would never find a husband unless she was smart. Just like any intellectual women during the enlightenment, she was denied formal professional careers, enrollment in academies, and other privileges that came with it. Instead, her father enlisted her own tutor who opened the doors for Châtelet’s amazing gift for learning early in life. She was exceptionally smart and by age 12, she was fluent in Greek, Latin, Italian and German.
Émilie du Châtelet’s Work and Discoveries
During du Châtelet’s science career, she discovered important concepts that still influence the physics lessons that are taught and learned in a classroom today. She even earned the nickname “Venus-Newton” because she was considered to be woman form of Sir Isaac Newton, whose 3 laws of motion and other discoveries where very important to the development of modern physics. She was very intent on studying Newton physics to make discoveries of her own.
Émilie du Châtelet has the credits to various significant discoveries and important concepts. Her works were always published anonymously or under someone's name who she worked
with.
One thing du Châtelet liked to study was the nature of light and heat including fire. Her study of this led to the discovery of infrared light and radiation. This also set the stage for the discovery of photography.
Another thing that Émilie du Châtelet can take credit for was conservation of energy. This discovery was based off of a error Newton made. Newton was wrong when he showed that the energy of a moving object was proportional to the mass and velocity of the object (Eamv). Émilie du Châtelet corrected this.
I am writing to happily nominate Émilie du Châtelet for the National Award Celebrating Historical Outstanding-ness (NACHO).
Émilie du Châtelet is very worthy of the NACHO because her input to the science community during the Enlightenment was very influential. She influenced the way women in fields of science were viewed, the acceptance of science along with religion and what we learn in physics today.
Women’s role in the Enlightenment and du Châtelet
During the Enlightenment, women were told that they only needed to be educated in how to be a wife and a mother. Everything else was kept to a minimal. It was frowned upon for them to even read novels because it was said to encourage idleness and corruption. They were …show more content…
seen as unqualified for official jobs in fields such as science and politics.
Luckily, Émilie du Châtelet was one of few to stray away from the traditional view of women.
This was able to happen because she had the privilege of being born into an upper class family with an aristocrat father who feared that she would never find a husband unless she was smart. Just like any intellectual women during the enlightenment, she was denied formal professional careers, enrollment in academies, and other privileges that came with it. Instead, her father enlisted her own tutor who opened the doors for Châtelet’s amazing gift for learning early in life. She was exceptionally smart and by age 12, she was fluent in Greek, Latin, Italian and German.
Émilie du Châtelet’s Work and Discoveries
During du Châtelet’s science career, she discovered important concepts that still influence the physics lessons that are taught and learned in a classroom today. She even earned the nickname “Venus-Newton” because she was considered to be woman form of Sir Isaac Newton, whose 3 laws of motion and other discoveries where very important to the development of modern physics. She was very intent on studying Newton physics to make discoveries of her own.
Émilie du Châtelet has the credits to various significant discoveries and important concepts. Her works were always published anonymously or under someone's name who she worked
with.
One thing du Châtelet liked to study was the nature of light and heat including fire. Her study of this led to the discovery of infrared light and radiation. This also set the stage for the discovery of photography.
Another thing that Émilie du Châtelet can take credit for was conservation of energy. This discovery was based off of a error Newton made. Newton was wrong when he showed that the energy of a moving object was proportional to the mass and velocity of the object (Eamv). Émilie du Châtelet corrected this.