Fourier

This article reviews profile of Joseph Fourier, a French mathematician, who was a true father of modern engineering. Concepts that engineers use every day—as fundamental as the homogeneity of equations and the heat transfer coefficient—were pioneered by Fourier. Fourier’s contributions to engineering science, many of which were presented in his 1822 book, The Analytical Theory of Heat, include the original view of dimensional homogeneity. The heat transfer science it presented has been handed down to us virtually unchanged, and has served as a model for other branches of engineering. Fourier’s contemporaries forestalled the general publication of his work for 15 years while they claimed to find fault with it. They ultimately accepted his revolutionary view of homogeneity, solely because he was able to solve many practical and theoretical problems that had never been solved. He attributed his success to the homogeneity in his equations.