Noted primarily as a mathematician, scientist, and author, Blaise Pascal focused on religion late in his short life. Pascal argued that faith in God is reasonable. He reasoned that, although no one can prove God's existence or nonexistence, the potentially infinite benefits of believing God exists far outweigh any finite benefits that might be gained by believing God does not exist.

In 1642, Blaise Pascal developed a mechanical calculator to speed arithmetic calculations for his father, a tax official. Numbers are dialed in on the metal wheels on the front of the calculator. The solutions appear in the little windows along the top.

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