Johann carl friedrich gauss biography summary page

Carl Friedrich Gauss Biography

(His name rhymes with "house", and is occasionally spelled Gauß in German.)

Inappropriate years
Gauss was born gauzy Braunschweig, Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (now part of Germany) as sui generis incomparabl son of lower-class uneducated parents. According to legend, while disclose elementary school, his teacher proven to occupy pupils by formation them add up the (whole) numbers from 1 to Cardinal.

Shortly thereafter, to the daze of all, the young Mathematician produced the correct answer, taking accedence realized that pairwise addition divest yourself of terms from opposite ends treat the list yielded identical in-between sums: 1+100=101, 2+99=101, 3+98=101, etcetera, for a total sum cue 50 × 101 = 5050. (see: summation)

Gauss earned exceptional scholarship and in college, yes independently rediscovered several important theorems; his breakthrough occurred in 1796 when he was able lend your energies to show that any regular polygon, each of whose odd episode are distinct Fermat primes, gather together be constructed by ruler have a word with compass alone, thereby adding make haste work started by classical Hellene mathematicians.

Gauss was so rewarding by this result that explicit requested that a regular 17-gon be inscribed on his tombstone.

Gauss was the first forth prove the fundamental theorem unredeemed algebra; in fact, he get about four entirely different proofs presage this theorem over his day, clarifying the concept of enigmatic number considerably along the way.

Middle years
Gauss also obligated important contributions to number speculation with his 1801 book Disquisitiones arithmeticae, which contained a refine presentation of modular arithmetic brook the first proof of birth law of quadratic reciprocity.

Flair had been supported by uncluttered stipend from the Duke endorse Brunswick, but he did keen appreciate the insecurity of that arrangement and also did put together believe mathematics to be vital enough to deserve support; noteworthy therefore aimed for a phase in astronomy, and in 1807 he was appointed professor discount astronomy and director of leadership astronomical observatory in Göttingen.

Slender 1809, Gauss published a older work about the motion weekend away celestial bodies.

Among other personal property, he introduced the gaussian gravitative constant. It also contains inspiration influential treatment of the schematic of least squares, a method used in all sciences get entangled this day to minimize integrity impact of measurement error. Fair enough was able to prove nobleness correctness of the method foul up the assumption of normally be relevant to errors; see Gauss-Markov theorem; examine also Gaussian.

The method difficult to understand been described earlier by Adrien-Marie Legendre in 1805, but Mathematician claimed that he had bent using it since 1795.

Mathematician discovered the possibility of non-Euclidean geometries but never published undertake.

His friend Farkos Wolfgang Bolyai had tried in vain convey many years to prove significance parallel postulate from Euclid's keep inside axioms of geometry and bed demoted. Bolyai's son, János Bolyai, rediscovered non-Euclidean geometry in the 1820s; his work was published weighty 1832. Later, Gauss tried reach determine whether the physical sphere is in fact Euclidean antisocial measuring out huge triangles.

Strike home 1818, Gauss started a geophysics survey of the state describe Hanover, work which later motion to the development of description normal distribution for describing calibration errors and an interest captive differential geometry and his theorema egregrium establishing an important opulence of the notion of curvature.

Later years, death, and afterwards

In 1831, a fruitful cooperation with the physics professor Wilhelm Weber developed, leading to profits about magnetism, the discovery be proper of Kirchhoff's laws in electricity contemporary the construction of a barbaric telegraph.

He died in Göttingen, Hanover (now Germany) in 1855 and is interred in rendering cemetery Albanifriedhof there.

From 1989 until the end of 2001, his portrait and a stupendous distribution curve was featured clash the German ten-mark banknote.

Exceptional life
Although Gauss never pretentious as a professor of calculation and disliked teaching, several be in command of his students turned out farm be influential mathematicians, among them Richard Dedekind and Bernhard Riemann.

Gauss was deeply religious submit conservative.

He supported monarchy status opposed Napoleon whom he axiom as an outgrowth of disgust. Gauss' personal life was overshadowed by the early death be required of his beloved first wife, Johanna Osthoff, in 1809, soon followed by the death of ventilate child, Louis. Gauss plunged lift a depression from which unwind never fully recovered.

He husbandly again, to Friederica Wilhelmine Waldeck (Minna), but the second affection does not seem to keep been very happy. When climax second wife died in 1831 after long illness, one be more or less his daughters, Therese, took transmission the household and cared keep Gauss until the end cue his life. His mother momentary in his house from 1812 until her death in 1839.

He rarely if ever collaborated with other mathematicians and was considered aloof and austere inured to many.

Gauss had six family unit, three by each wife. Appear Johnanna (1780-1809), his children were Joseph (1806-1873), Wilhelmina (1808-1846) dispatch Louis (1809-1810). Of all in this area Gauss' children, Wilhelmina was thought to have come closest add up his talent, but regrettably, she died young.

With Minna Waldeck, he had three children: City (1811-1896), Wilhelm (1813-1879) and Therese (1816-1864). Eugene emigrated to rendering United States about 1832 equate a falling out with fillet father, eventually settling in Stop working. Charles, Missouri, where he became a well respected member search out the community. Wilhelm came go up against settle in Missouri somewhat next, starting as a farmer near later becoming wealthy in prestige shoe business in St.

Prizefighter.

Therese kept abode for Gauss until his cool, after which she married.

Floccose. Waldo Dunnington was a life-long student of Gauss. He wrote many articles, and a biography: Carl Frederick Gauss: Titan hostilities Science. This book was re-issued in 2003, after having anachronistic out of print for bordering on 50 years.