Sophie Germain | |
|---|---|
 Marie-Sophie Germain | |
| Born | Marie-Sophie Germain 1 April 1776 Paris, France |
| Died | 27 June 1831 (aged 55) Paris, France |
| Known for | Elasticity theory Number theory Mean curvature Sophie Germain prime Sophie Germain's theorem Germain−Lagrange plate equation |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematician, physicist, and philosopher |
| Academic advisors | Carl Friedrich Gauss (epistolary correspondent) |
| Notes | |
Other name: Auguste Antoine Le Blanc | |
Marie-Sophie Germain (French: [maʁi sɔfi ʒɛʁmɛ̃]; 1 April 1776 – 27 June 1831) was a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. Despite initial opposition from her parents and difficulties presented by society, she gained education from books in her father's library, including ones by Euler, and from correspondence with famous mathematicians such as Lagrange, Legendre, and Gauss (under the pseudonym of Monsieur LeBlanc). One of the pioneers of elasticity theory, she won the grand prize from the Paris Academy of Sciences for her essay on the subject. Her work on Fermat's Last Theorem provided a foundation for mathematicians exploring the subject for hundreds of years after.[1] Because of prejudice against her sex, she was unable to make a career out of mathematics, but she worked independently throughout her life.[2] Before her death, Gauss had recommended that she be awarded an honorary degree, but that never occurred.[3] On 27 June 1831, she died from breast cancer. At the centenary of her life, a street and a girls' school were named after her. The Academy of Sciences established the Sophie Germain Prize in her honour.
- ^ Del Centina 2008, p. 373.
- ^ Case & Leggett 2005, p. 39.
- ^ Mackinnon, Nick (1990). "Sophie Germain, or, Was Gauss a feminist?". The Mathematical Gazette 74 (470): 346–351, esp. p. 347.