Sophie Germain
All things considered, she was probably the most profoundly intellectual woman that France has ever produced. And yet, strange as it may seem, when the state official came to make out her death certificate, he designated her as a "rentiere-annuitant" (a single woman with no profession) -- not as a "mathematicienne." Nor is this all. When the Eiffel Tower was erected, there was inscribed on this lofty structure the names of seventy-two savants. But one will not find in this list the name of that daughter of genius, whose researches contributed so much toward establishing the theory of the elasticity of metals -- Germain Germain. Was she excluded from this list for the same reason she was ineligible for membership in the French Academy -- because she was a woman? If such, indeed, was the case, more is the shame for those who were responsible for such ingratitude toward one who had deserved so well of science, and who by her achievements had won an enviable place in the hall of fame. H. J. Mozans, 1913 Sophie Germain was born in Paris on April 1, 1776 to Ambroise-Francois and Marie Germain. It was a time of worldwide social and political upheaval. The s
When Germain was thirteen years old, the French Revolution had begun, making Paris a dangerous place to live. Germain's parents confined her to her house, where she had little to do but read from her father's library. Here she read about ancient history, science and mathematics. One particular story, about the death of Archimedes, inspired Germain so that she read and learned every book on geometry that she could find. Thus began Germain's lifelong study of mathematics. Amazingly, Germain's partial proof of Fermat's last theorem was completed while she was in her twenties. Germain went on to make profound contributions in applied mathematics, particularly the study of elasticity and vibration of metals. Despite her achievements, she was shunned by most of the academic community due to her gender. Germain never felt she received the credit that she deserved, and rightly so. Her accomplishments continued to be overlooked until the late nineteenth century, when attitudes about the role of women began to change. Historians now realize the scope of Germain's achievements and place her among the great academics of the nineteenth century.
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Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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