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Sophie Germain. By Hope Rennells. The Beginning. Sophie Germain was born on April 1, 1776. She was born to a wealthy family in Paris, France. Her parent were Anabroise-Francis and Marie Germain. She was 2 nd in line of three sisters. Her father was a merchant. How it Started.
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Sophie Germain By Hope Rennells
The Beginning • Sophie Germain was born on April 1, 1776. • She was born to a wealthy family in Paris, France. • Her parent were Anabroise-Francis and Marie Germain. • She was 2nd in line of three sisters. • Her father was a merchant.
How it Started • Sophie found her passion for math when she was 13. • She was inspired by Archimedes’ life story. • Sophie taught herself math, because many people disapproved. • Sophie’s parents tried to stop her, but she simply couldn’t be stopped.
What Happened Next • When Sophie was 18,the Ecole Polytechnique was founded. • This was an academy specifically teaching mathematics, to men. • While but Sophie wasn’t able to enroll, she was able to obtain the lecture notes for several of the courses and study from them. • She particularly liked the class of J. L. Lagrange.
What Happened Then • Sophie submitted a paper on analysis to Lagrange at the end of the school year. • He was quite impressed with the work and became a mentor to her. • Now with a male to introduce her, Sophie could enter the circle of scientists and mathematicians that she never could before.
What Happened After That • In 1804, Sophie began corresponding with the German mathematician, Carl Friedrich Gauss who worked with number theory. • Sophie sent him a letter with her latest on number theory, but didn’t tell him about her gender. • When he found out however, he didn’t care because he recognized her talent. • Years later she wrote to the mathematician Legendre about what would be her most important work in number theory. Germain found an answer to a mathematical equation that would help Fermat's in his last theorem for the case where n equals 5”.
The End • Sophie Germain died on June 27, 1831. • She died in Paris, France at age 55. • She died of breast cancer.
Her Influence • Sophie Germain helped lay the road for other female scientists and mathematicians. • She helped get us farther in algebra, number theory, and theory of elasticity.
What Happened Later • Sophie Germain was honored in many different ways including: • A street named after her in Paris • Statues of her (mainly in Paris, but in other places too). • Her house has been designated to being a historical landmark (Paris) • And many other ways
Sources • Bucciarelli, Louis L., and Nancy Dworsky. "Sophie Germain: Revolutionary Mathematician." San Diego Supercomputer Center. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/germain.html>. • Website • Swift, Amanda. "Sophie Germain." Agnes Scott College - A Private, Liberal Arts Women's College in Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Apr. 1995. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/germain.htm>.