Pierre Louis Maupertuis
![Maupertuis, wearing "''lapmudes''" from his Lapland expedition. With one hand he is pressing on the globe, making it oblate. Line engraving by J. Daullé, 1741, after [[Robert Tournières|R. Levrac-Tournières]], 1737.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/PierreLouisMaupertuis.jpg)
Maupertuis made an expedition to Lapland to determine the shape of the Earth. He is often credited with having invented the principle of least action; a version is known as Maupertuis's principle – an integral equation that determines the path followed by a physical system. His work in natural history is interesting in relation to modern science, since he touched on aspects of heredity and the struggle for life. Provided by Wikipedia
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