Sophie Germain How many people in the world today could say that they have achieved a feat

worthy of making themselves famous throughout the world? The answer to that question is most likely only a small selection compared to the overall population. In fact, most people would have difficulty saying they were more than popular outside of the general area that they live in. To become famous a person has to put in an almost inhuman amount of effort to excel and face much more adversity than a regular person would. This is exactly what the mathematician known as Sophie Marie Germain managed to accomplish with her life. Even with the struggles women faced in the 1700s, especially in France, she persevered and has become one of the most famous female mathematicians of all time. The reasons this paper in particular covers Sophie Germain is because of the work she accomplished, the difficulty of her work in a society that did not favor women, and the lasting impacts the work she has done has had all around the world. First of all, the work that Sophie Germain managed to accomplish is simply amazing. Throughout her life she was mainly known for the work she achieved mainly in the fields of number theory and in the study of elasticity. Her interest in math stemmed from the time spent studying the works of Archimedes in her parents library. The rumor is that she was so enthralled with the story of how Archimedes was so involved with his work that it lead to his death intrigued Germain and she too wanted to become lost in the world that Archimedes gave his life for. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that even though he parents did not approve of her behavior, she would take to going into the library at night to study (Maisel and Smart, 1997). The main reason Germain managed to garner so much attention is due to her work regarding Fermats Last Theorem states that there are no nonzero whole numbers x, y, and z such that xn +yn = zn for any n greater than 2. She devised a theorem for solving the issue which would later become known as the Sophie Germain Theorem which showed that Fermats theorem was true for any prime number n that was less than 100, if none of x,y,z is divisible by n (Rehmeyer, Aug. 21st, 2008). Unfortunately, even Sophie realized that she could not completely solve the problem as noted in correspondence between her and Carl Gauss. In fact it would be over 200 years before the problem would be solved (Rehmeyer, Aug. 25th, 2008). The work that Sophie performed in regards to Fermats Last Theorem is truly astonishing considering her teaching herself due to no being allowed to go to school and she totally deserves the recognition she received for it. Secondly, Sophie managed to do all of this astonishing work in a society that was not exactly the most supportive especially to women. The society I am referring to is France during the revolution. Women were not exactly revered for their minds during this time period. In fact, even though Sophies parents could have afforded to send her off to school they chose not to do so. Ironically this is what led to her endless nights studying in the library at home (Bailey, 2006). In fact, when the cole Polytechnique originally opened in Paris in 1975 for mathematicians and scientists, the only people who were allowed to originally attend the school were men. Sophie managed to work around this, however. Since the lectures were available to anyone who desired, she simply became friends with the students who attended and got them to get the notes for her (Maisel and Smart). Further proof of the way women were looked upon is due to the shock that J.L. LeGrange received after realizing that the memoirs he had received were actually from a woman. Up until that time Sophie wrote to the mathematician under the false name of M.

LeBlanc, a student who had informally left the school, due to the stigma of women in mathematical society at the time (Rehmeyer, Aug. 21st, 2008). Also, despite the fact that her work was brilliant she was still never really accepted by her peers due her status as a female even after winning a prize from Napolon himself for work conducted in regards two-dimensional harmonic motion (Maisel and Smart). Despite all the trials Sophie overcame, the one thing she would never be able to overcome was her biggest hindrance: her status as a female. Last but most certainly not least, the work that Sophie Germain performed has had a major effect on mathematics around the world today. In addition to the work she performed in respect to Fermats Last Theorem, she also helped to develop the foundations of elasticity. In fact, when the Eiffel Tower was constructed, the formulas that Germain had created in terms of elasticity were used in its building. Oddly, however, her work was not officially credited after it all was said and done (Bailey, 2006). The most lasting effects that Sophie had on the mathematical society was the way she showed that regardless of gender, great work was still possible. Sophies determination even led to her being allowed into the sessions at The Institut de France, the first woman ever allowed to do so (Bailey, 2006). Mainly, Sophie to pave the path for female mathematicians like herself to follow in her footsteps. In conclusion, Sophie Germain well deserves the fame that she has achieved. She is an accomplished mathematician especially in the field of elastic theory, she worked hard to gain recognition even in a society that did not show fancy to the female sex, and the work she performed has had a lasting impact on the mathematical community as a whole. Sophie is a prime example of what a person is able to become if they have a goal and work towards that goal regardless of the opposition one may face along the way. She proved to the world that a woman can do all the things that a man can and in her case better. All you need is effort and eventually you will succeed.

Reference List Rehmeyer, J. (2008, August 21). An Attack on Fermat. Science News. Retrieved from http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/9407/title/An_Attack_on_Fermat Bailey, E. (2006). Sophie Germain. Ohio: Great Neck Publishing. Maisel, M., & Smart, L. (1997). Sophie Germain. Women in Science. Retrieved from http://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/germain.html Rehmeyer, J. (2008, August 25). A Mathematical Tragedy. Science News. Retrieved from http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/9407/title/An_Attack_on_Fermat