Sophie Germain, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Sophie Germain

French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher

Date of Birth: 01-Apr-1776

Place of Birth: Paris, Île-de-France, France

Date of Death: 27-Jun-1831

Profession: physicist, mathematician, philosopher

Nationality: France

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Marie-Sophie Germain (French: [ma?i s?fi ???m?~]; 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 Leonhard Euler, and from correspondence with famous mathematicians such as Lagrange, Legendre, and Gauss.
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 June 27, 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.