Sophie Germain
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Sophie Germain was a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher who lived from 1776 to 1831 and made significant contributions to mathematics and science despite facing barriers as a woman in her field. Her work was important for advancing knowledge in areas like number theory and elasticity theory during a period when few women had the opportunity to participate in academic pursuits.
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5 total works indexed
- Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger
· 2016 · cited 11,419x
- Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines
· 2018 · cited 9,365x
- GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
· 2017 · cited 8,070x
- Fluorine in medicinal chemistry
· 2008 · cited 7,163x
Article
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 under the pseudonym of Monsieur Le Blanc with famous mathematicians, such as Lagrange, Legendre, and Gauss. 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. Because of prejudice against her sex, she was unable to make a career out of mathematics, but she worked independently throughout her life. Before her death, Gauss had recommended that she be awarded an honorary degree, but that never occurred. 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.
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1776 births1831 deaths18th-century French mathematicians18th-century French women scientists18th-century women mathematicians19th-century French mathematicians19th-century French women scientists19th-century women mathematicians19th-century women physicistsDeaths from breast cancer in FranceFrench number theoristsFrench philosophers