Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Pascal, Blaise blĕz päskälˈ [key], 1623–62, French scientist and religious philosopher. Studying under the direction of his father, a civil servant, Pascal showed great precocity, especially in ...

(Encyclopedia) Pascal's law päskälzˈ [key] [for Blaise Pascal], states that pressure applied to a confined fluid at any point is transmitted undiminished throughout the fluid in all directions and acts upon every...

(Encyclopedia) Pascal: see programming language. ...

(Encyclopedia) Monluc, Blaise de: see Montluc, Blaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de. ...

(Encyclopedia) Cendrars, Blaise blĕz siNdrärˈ [key], 1887–1961, Swiss-born French writer whose real name was Frédéric Sauser. He was at various times an art critic, a journalist, and a film director, and he t...

(Encyclopedia) Puy de Dôme, extinct volcano of the Massif Central and the second highest peak (4,806 ft/1,465 m) of the Auvergne Mts., central France, W of Clermont-Ferrand. Crops are raised on the lower slopes; th...

(Encyclopedia) Compaoré, Blaise blāz cŏmpôrˈrā [key], 1951–, Burkinabe military and political leader, president of Burkina Faso (1987–2014), b. Ouagadougou. An army captain and minister of justice under Pr...

(Encyclopedia) Gérard, François Pascal Simon, Baron zhārärˈ [key], 1770–1837, French portrait and historical painter, b. Rome. In Paris, after brief study under Pajou and others, he became a favorite pupil o...

(Encyclopedia) binomial bīˌnōˈmēəl [key], polynomial expression (see polynomial) containing two terms, for example, x+y. The binomial theorem, or binomial formula, gives the expansion of the nth power of a bin...

(Encyclopedia) Lissouba, Pascal, 1931–2020, Congolese political leader. A biologist and able administrator, he served as prime minister (1963–66) of the Congo Republic under President Massamba-Débat and then ta...