History of Laplace Transforms

Transformation in mathematics deals with the conversion of one function to another function that may not be in the same domain. The transform method finds its application in those problems which can’t be solved directly. This transform is named after the mathematician and renowned astronomer Pierre Simon Laplace who lived in France.

He used a similar transform on his additions to the probability theory. It became popular after World War Two. This transform was made popular by Oliver Heaviside, an English Electrical Engineer. Other famous scientists such as Niels Abel, Mathias Lerch, and Thomas Bromwich used it in the 19th century.

The complete history of the Laplace Transforms can be tracked a little more to the past, more specifically 1744. This is when another great mathematician called Leonhard Euler was researching on other types of integrals. Euler however did not pursue it very far and left it. An admirer of Euler called Joseph Lagrange; made some modifications to Euler’s work and did further work. LaGrange’s work got Laplace’s attention 38 years later, in 1782 where he continued to pick up where Euler left off. But it was not 3 years later; in 1785 where Laplace had a stroke of genius and changed the way we solve differential equations forever. He continued to work on it and continued to unlock the true power of the Laplace transform until 1809, where he started to use infinity as a integral condition.