Sophie Germain Research Paper

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Sophie Germain was a French mathematician, a philosopher, and a physicist born during the revolution period. During this time woman did not have the right to do as much things as men did. Her family was wealthy but she had to work harder to be recognized as a mathematician being she was a girl. She studied acoustics, elasticity, and the theory of numbers. Sophie struggled with being these things because of the social prejudices during this time. Despite the many challenges Sophie faced during this time, she became very well known as a mathematician.
Sophie Germain was born in Paris, France on April 1 in 1776. Her parents were Ambroise-Francois and Marie Germain. Sophie had two sisters, Marie-Madeline and Angelique-Ambroise Germain. As a child she read a wide variety of books in her fathers library. Sophie taught herself Greek and Latin languages and was able to read Isaac Newton and Leonhard Euler’s work. Her parents did not approve of her learning mathematics but she loved …show more content…

She tried two more times and on her third attempt won. She became the first woman to win a prize from the Paris Academy of Sciences. She also became interested in the study of the number theory and prime numbers. Sophie wrote a letter to Carl Friedrich Gauss in 1815, telling him that the number theory was her preferred field. She outlined a strategy of Fermat’s Last Theorem. Gauss never answered her letter. Geramin tried very hard to become known for her education. Not only was Germain a mathematician, but she also studied philosophy and psychology. “She classified the facts by generalizing them into laws as foundation of science of psychology and sociology,” stated the author from Famous Mathematician. Her study in philosophy was highly liked by Auguste Comte. Her nephew Lherbette, published her writings later on. Although she studied many things, math was is what she is most known

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