Science and technology in France has a long
history dating back to the Acádémie des
Sciences, founded by Louis XIV in 1666, at
the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to
encourage and protect the spirit of French
scientific research.
France's achievements in science and technology
have been significant throughout the past
centuries as France's economic growth and
industrialisation process was slow and steady
along the 18th and 19th centuries.
Research and development efforts form an integral
part of the country's economy.
Scientific research in the country is supported
by industry, by the network of French universities
and by higher education establishments outside
the main framework, Grandes écoles.
== Historical overview ==
The tradition of scientific research in France
can be traced back to the scientific revolution.
France is home to some of the world's oldest
universities (Montpellier, Paris) although
they were, at the time of their foundation,
more centered on philosophy, theology and
law than on science.
== Institutions ==
=== French écoles normales supérieures ===
École Normale Supérieure
École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay
École Normale Supérieure de Lyon
== Scientific fields ==
=== 
Physics ===
Radioactivity was discovered by Henri Becquerel
in 1896.
The theoretical foundations and mathematical
framework of special relativity were laid
by Henri Poincaré, before Albert Einstein
used them in 1905 and later.
=== Chemistry ===
The conservation of mass law was discovered
by Antoine Lavoisier in 18th century France.
=== Mathematics ===
The Cartesian Coordinate System was discovered
by René Descartes in 1637 (and independently
by Pierre de Fermat at the same period).
The first calculator by Blaise Pascal (Pascaline)
was made in 1642.
(see also Adding machine) Probability theory
was developed by Pierre de Fermat and Blaise
Pascal in the seventeenth century (with Gerolamo
Cardano and Christiaan Huygens).France is
home to 11 Fields Medalists, second only to
the United States in number of Fields Medalists.
The fictitious mathematician Nicolas Bourbaki's
"association of collaborators" is based at
École Normale Supérieure in France.
=== Nuclear power ===
France carried out its first test of an atomic
bomb in Algeria in 1960 and some operational
French nuclear weapons became available in
1964.
Then, France executed its first test of the
much more powerful hydrogen bomb over its
South Pacific Ocean test range in 1968; this
first hydrogen bomb was dropped from a strategic
bomber.
France was the fourth de facto nuclear power
after United States, Soviet Union and United
Kingdom.
=== Space science ===
In 1965, France was the third nation, after
the former USSR and the United States, to
launch its own space satellite.
The French no longer launch their own satellites,
however, preferring instead to contribute
to the European Space Agency.
== See also ==
Open access in France
