Biography of the Count Paul Ballada of Saint

The count Paolo Ballada of Saint Robert (1815-1888) as very young boy, he entered the Military Academy of Turin. At 45 years, he left the Army for devoting himself to the study of physical and military sciences. He was a member of the Royal Academy of the Sciences of Turin, the Royal Academy of the Lincei of Rome, the Royal Lombardo Institute of Milan, and of the Society (Academy) Italian called XL (forty). His life was dedicated to technical-scientific studies: Ballistics, Artillery, Mechanic, Hypsometry, Thermodynamic and Natural Sciences. As a passionate mountaineer, he did many alpine excursions and he was the main promoter and organizer of the first Italian ascent to mount Monviso in 1863 with his friend Quintino Sella, and contributed to the foundation of the Italian Alpine Club. He retired in Castagnole delle Lanze (Asti) in 1878 until 1884. He died in Turin in 1888.


Introduction
The purpose of this biography is to draw readers' attention to an extraordinary character who lived in the 19th century. Distinguished scholar, highly appreciated in his time in the institutions of Science both in Italy and abroad. His studies touch on many scientific sectors, some of his theories are still used today as points of reference (e.g., burning rate) and others if they had been taken into serious consideration (e.g., the melting of the glaciers), perhaps the problem of the climate that affects today the whole globe would almost certainly to be less dramatic. In this way, we try to reproduce a figure almost completely and unjustly forgotten.

The Military Art
"Even before that ancient Sardinian army was transformed into the Italian army following the unification of Italy, Piedmont had the good fortune to educate a large group of clever and capable officers, who were able to combine the cult of scientific disciplines with the noble weapons ministry.
Among these elected must count Paul Ballada of Saint Robert".
The count Paul Ballada of Saint Robert was born in Verzuolo (Cuneo), from count Ignazio and Luigia Cavallero on 10 June 1815. When he was 11 years old, entered the Military Academy of Turin and only 20 years old he obtained the rank of lieutenant of artillery. Two years later at the Application School of Artillery and Engineers of Turin was appointed professor of Ballistics. He left the Army in 1857 with the rank of lieutenant colonel, to devote himself fully to his favorite studies.
His affection for the Army did not fade, and also if he devoted himself to pure science never has ceased to meditated on the problems that related to the military art, were born so its valuable works on ballistics and artillery.
He made deep studies on gun powder and the phenomena associated with the explosion and the trajectories of the bullets, his theorems on the similitude of trajectories had, as he wrote the general Menabrea, an indisputable importance in the ballistic theory, and not by chance was considered as reported in the yearbook of military Academy in Turin in 1888, the founder of the science of modern ballistic.
The artillery captain Francesco Siacci, on the basis of the Saint Robert's studies has defined later the laws of the shooting practices, laws which in just a short time they were adopted by the artilleries of the whole world. His studies on conditions in which it moves a projectile within a resistant means, led him to the conception of a new projectile with a lenticular shape launched from a cannon of new constitution (curved barrel), where the projectile assume a rotational motion at the contrary of the wheel of a vehicle round its axis, thus achieving a greater range and a greater precision. This theory met interest of the armies of half Europe, and was published in the magazines of military techniques, as well as in Italian, also in French and German. The difficulties to produce a cannon with a curve barrel, however has hindered the production in series of the same, with the consequence of abandoned of the project.
After tremendous explosion of powder factory in Turin (1852) that put in danger the whole city, he occupied himself with sagacity of the security problem related to the production of gunpowder, working on the same chemical composition and the manufacturing methods, which were then adopted in the new plant in Fossano (1861).
He carried out studies and experiments on powder burning rate as a function of generated pressure and defining a mathematical law. Law that bears his name, and which still use today as a reference by all www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/wjssr aerospace organizations in the world to define the size of the solid fuel propulsion systems.

Scientific Studies
Paul de Saint Robert in addition to the studies on military theories, he took care also a long series of works in the field of the Mathematics Analysis, Mechanics and Physical Sciences, which has made him highly deserving among the scholars of these disciplines. In this context it emerges definitely among all his studies the work entitled "Principes de Thermodynamique" published in two editions in 1865 and in 1870, editions that were adopted as a textbook in some important universities in Europe, as well as being the first thermodynamic treatises published in Italy. In the first volume, the Saint Robert expounds the general principles of the mechanical theory of heat, then follow their applications to the expansion of bodies accompanied or not, by external mechanical work, the effect of the fluids, the movement of projectiles in firearms and to the thermic machines. It can be said that He has considered the cannon a thermic machine thus giving a definitive outline to the problem of the gases in fire arms.
In the second volume compared the first, we find a more detailed analysis of his theories, with the addition of biographies of Sadi Carnot and Robert Mayer the discoverers of the fundamental thermodynamic theorems.
We mention also a monograph entitled "Qu'est ce que la force?" which clarifies the different meaning given to the word "force" at that time; pressure, push, traction, mechanical work. Ultimately the Saint Robert was certainly the most important Italian thermodynamic of the period, but also abroad he appeared to be one of the few to understood the theoretical modernity and didactic of the new theory and he exposed it both theoretical and applied to the maximum level.
The many of its works on the Hypsometry have acquired a utility most valuable and practical from being conceived, meditated and controlled by direct observations during his mountains hikes. With his studies and his research, and on the basis of data collected by the British physicist James Glaisher during his aerostatic ascents, Saint Robert had noticed that as you go up in altitude the temperature decrease less and less, identifying for first the need to change the barometric formula of La Place and Bessel, whose formula considered instead steady decrease in air temperature. The Saint Robert has treated these topics in various scientific French and English publications, and in the meantime he

Passions-Mountains and Natural Sciences
The count Paul of Saint Robert always felt until old age a true enthusiasm for the wonderful sights commentators of the time, but even today are copying each other serious inaccuracies, in which also incur authoritative historians of Astronomy".

Commemorative Dedications
Below are proposed short extracts of the commemorations dedicated to the count of Saint Robert by prestigious scientific institutions:

Royal Academy of Sciences of Turin
Those who knew him at closely will not cease the admiration for that strong temperament that drove him without hesitation and inflexibly for the right course pointed out to him by the firmness of his convictions. This could sometimes give to his character excessive rigidity; but if in the contrasts of life and in scientific controversy, he argued passionately to his opinions, intolerant it never was, nor ever was deaf to the impulses of his generous heart and always maintained the manners of the perfect gentlemen. "We hope that our country can boast among young people who are now engaging themselves in the gym of the studies, many who are akin to count of Saint Robert for the high intelligence, the character integrity, the great love for the Homeland and the science".

Royal Academy of Lincei of Rome
He felt highly of himself without vanity. He complained often, and rightly, that his works were not enough known and cited. He did not seek honors, but the high distinctions not missed to him, attesting the great consideration of the highest scientific institutions of the State. He was decorated with the military cross of the Order of Savoy, he was member of Academy of Lincei in Rome, of the Academy of XL in Modena, of the Academy of Sciences of Turin and Lombardo Royal Institute. "More than companies, he loved the loneliness and more than his near friends, the far ones. However, he had both: Sadi Carnot, Clausius, Rankine, Sella, Menabrea, Genocchi, Sommellier, Grattoni and others. A very few intimate friends, but no enemies. The memory will remain respected and honored not only by lovers of science, but also by people who respect and honor the intelligence, the loyalty, the character".

Italian Alpine Club
"Of firm character, resolute, loyal to the highest degree, with a noble and generous heart and the manners of the perfect gentleman. Modest by nature was alien from honors and he abhorred by every outcry that could be done around to his name".

London Alpine Club
"The Saint Robert has to be remembered more for his scientific works than for alpine explorations. He had an absolute and incomparable mastery of mathematics which he used as a tool to investigate the problems of physics. In his later years, Saint Robert lived in retirement and spent the most part of the time in a country house near Asti, close to which he built a tower from which he enjoyed a wide sight of the whole alpine arch, from Monte Rosa to the Maritime Alps". to the everlasting memory of the fallen of the first world war, the little hill then called Memorial Park.
Since 2012 the above area, including the tower, houses a museum created and managed by the Cultural Association Tower of the Count Paolo Ballada of Saint Robert in order to re-propose his figure, illustrating his scientific works, his passions and his interests.

Conclusion
We believe to have done to emerge the figure of an important promoter of the scientific culture. Scholar of the military technology among the most distinguished ones of its time, he succeeded in combining pure and applied science, art and social interests into one of the most elevated synthesis. We can therefore define count Paul Ballada of Saint Robert one of the best scholars of the foundations of the Physics in Europe.