Sophie Germain pursued her interests
in mathematics and physics by conquering great subjects under a
veil of secrecy - and without ever receiving due
credit for her contributions to either field.
It was her love of these subjects that drove her to add so many valuable
insights to number theory, applied
mathematics, and physics (the elasticity of metals, and acoustics). Germain's
ideas and work contributed to the engineering of the Eiffel Tower,
yet
she went unrecognized. By contrast, 72
other scientists - all male - were honored with an
inscription
on the structure. Not even her death certificate gives her due
justice. It lists her profession as a "rentier"
or property holder, but not as a mathematician.
During a time of chauvinism and
prejudice, Sophie Germain persevered. Because of her sex, she was forced
to correspond under the pseudonym of "Monsieur Antoine-August Le Blanc," a
former student at the École Polytechnique, a Paris
institution founded in 1794.
By signing her assignments as "Monsieur Le Blanc," Germain would
submit answers to Joseph-Louis Lagrange, who was famous
for his work in number theory, and classical and celestial mechanics. When Germain
and Lagrange finally met, her identity
was revealed, and he became her mentor and friend - her
first breakthrough into this wholly male world.
Early in her career, Sophie Germain made an
important breakthrough on Fermat's Last Theorem. Many people are
familiar with a related concept, Pythagoras'
theorem: x2 + y2 =
z2 . In his theorem, Pierre de Fermat
posited that there were no known solutions to the following equations,
but
claimed that a proof existed even though he
never wrote it down:
x3 + y3
= z3
x4 +y4
= z4
x5 + y5
= z5
x6 + y6
= z6
.
.
.
xn + yn
= zn
Germain, while still in her twenties and operating under her
pseudonym, shared her ideas about Fermat's
Last Theorem with Carl Friedrich Gauss, one of the
most brilliant mathematicians of all time. Germain focused on all the equations
in which n is a prime number. Specifically,
she was interested in all prime numbers p in which 2p + 1 is also a prime number (i.e., 2, 3, 5,
11, 23, 29, 41, 53, 83, 89, 113, 131). She also showed
that for values of n equal to these
Germain primes, there were "probably" no solutions
to the equation: xn + yn
= zn. Germain's work
is considered to be her greatest contribution; however, she would have never
received credit if it weren't for her identity being revealed to Gauss at a
later date.
Later in life, Sophie Germain
began a career in physics and made significant contributions to
the studies of the elasticity of metals and acoustics. Her paper entitled "Memoir on the Vibrations
of Elastic Plates" laid the foundation for modern elasticity theory.
Resources:
http://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/germain.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/proof/germain.html
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi223.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Germain
| 
Re: Sophie Germain (April 1, 1776 – June 27, 1831)
