Sophie Germain
By Hope Rennells
The Beginning
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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
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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
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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
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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”.
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The End
 Sophie
Germain died on June 27, 1831.
 She died in Paris, France at age 55.
 She died of breast cancer.
Her Influence
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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
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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
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Bucciarelli, Louis L., and Nancy Dworsky. "Sophie
Germain: Revolutionary Mathematician." San
Diego Supercomputer Center. Web. 20 Jan. 2011.
<http://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/germain.ht
ml>.
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/germ
ain.htm>.