SOPHIE GERMAIN

LIFE

• Born April 1, 1776
• Died of cancer June 27, 1831
• Died at 55
• French

EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT TO MATH

• Barred from going to a good college because she was a women
• Taught herself math at night in her room
• Inspired by a story of Archimedes's death

CONTRIBUTIONS TO MATH

• elastic properties of certain material determine how much it will come together under a certain amount of pressure
• Best known for elastic theory, differential geometry, and number theory

ANECDOTES

• “Algebra is but written geometry and geometry is but figured algebra” - Sophie Germain
• “When a person of the sex of which, according to our customs and prejudices, must encounter infinitely more difficulties than men to familiarize herself with these thorny researches, succeeds nevertheless in surmounting these obstacles and penetrating the most obscure parts of them, then without doubt she must have the noblest courage, quite extraordinary talents and a super genius.” - Carl Gauss

ANECDOTES

• In her fathers library when she found a story about Archimedes
• Story telling of Archimedes's death

ONE DOLAR WORDS