JOHANN CARL FRIEDRICH GAUSS

 PRINCE OF MATHEMATICS

Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss , a German mathematician who had a remarkable influence in many fields , including number theory, statistics, analysis, differential geometry, electrostatics, astronomy and optics is ranked as one of history's most influential mathematicians.

CHILD PRODIGY:

At the age of three he amazed his father by correcting an arithmetical error.

In primary school his teacher, J.G. Büttner, tried to occupy pupils by making them add a list of integers. The young Gauss reputedly produced the correct answer within seconds, to the astonishment of his teacher. 

Gauss's presumed method, which supposes the list of numbers was from 1 to 100, was to realize that pairwise addition of terms from opposite ends of the list yielded identical intermediate sums:

1 + 100 = 101, 2 + 99 = 101, 3 + 98 = 101, and so on, for a total sum of 50 × 101 = 5050 .

FAMOUS QUOTE:

“Mathematics is the queen of the sciences and number theory is the queen of mathematics”

“Ask her to wait a moment,I am almost done” (he told this while working when he was informed that his wife is dying).

CONTRIBUTIONS:

• In Disquisitiones Arithmeticae, one of the most brilliant achievements in mathematics, Gauss systematized the study of number theory. This work was fundamental in consolidating number theory as a discipline and has shaped the field to the present day.
• Gauss proved the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra, which states that every polynomial has a root of the form a+bi.
• He also discovered the Cauchy Integral theorem for analytic functions
• Gauss's work in mathematical physics contributed to potential theory and the development of the Principle of Conservation of Energy.
• Theoria motus corporum celestium (theory of motion of the celestial bodies) is his most significant work on applied mathematics.
• Gauss discovered Ceres, the largest of the asteroids orbiting around the Sun.
• His Theory of Celestial Movement remains a cornerstone of astronomical computation. It introduced the Gaussian gravitational constant.
• Introduced the Method of Least Squares, a procedure used in all sciences to this day to minimize the impact of measurement error.