Sophie Germain
(1776-1831)
woman, mathematician, philosopher, and physicist
Died aged c. 55
Wikidata WikipediaMarie-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 with famous mathematicians such as Lagrange, Legendre, and Gauss (under the pseudonym of Monsieur LeBlanc). 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 honor.
DbPedia
Commemorated on 1 plaque
Sophie Germain, philosophe et mathématicienne, née a Paris en 1776, est morte dans cette maison le 27 juin 1831. Mars 1894. Ville de Paris.
English translation: Sophie Germain, philosopher and mathematician, born in Paris in 1776, died in this house on 27 June 1831. March 1894. City of Paris. [AWS Translate]
13 rue de Savoie, Paris, France where they died (1831)