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Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855), a legendary German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist, is considered to be among the leading mathematicians of all time. At age 19, Gauss demonstrated a method for constructing a heptadecagon using only a straightedge and compass, a process that had eluded the Greeks. Gauss proved the fundamental theorem of algebra, which states that every polynomial has a root of the form a+bi. In 1801, he proved the fundamental theorem of arithmetic, which states that every natural number can be represented as the product of primes in only one way. At age 24, Gauss published Disquisitiones Arithmeticae (1801), considered to be one of most important mathematical treatises of all time. Gauss also developed the method of least squares fitting, 10 years before Adrien-Marie Legendre, but did not publish his findings. His breadth of knowledge was expansive, from the theory of numbers, to algebra, analysis, geometry, probability, and the theory of errors. He applied these and other insights to an equally impressive range of empirical and theoretical research in observational astronomy, celestial mechanics, surveying, geodesy, capillarity, geomagnetism, electromagnetism, mechanism optics, and actuarial science.
Further Reading Fundamental theorem of algebra (University of St. Andrews, Scotland, School of Mathematics and Statistics) Gauss - Biography (University of St. Andrews, Scotland, School of Mathematics and Statistics)
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Cutler Cleveland (Lead Author);Tom Lawrence (Topic Editor) "Gauss, Johann Carl Friedrich". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth September 6, 2006; Last revised Date September 6, 2006; Retrieved May 26, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Gauss,_Johann_Carl_Friedrich>
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The Encyclopedia of Earth Cutler J. Cleveland is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. Dr. Cleveland is currently a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Boston University, with joint appointments in the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future. He also is a Senior Fellow at the National Council for Science and the Environment in Washington D.C. Dr. Cleveland is als ... (Full Bio)
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855), a legendary German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist, is considered to be among the leading mathematicians of all time. At age 19, Gauss demonstrated a method for constructing a heptadecagon using only a straightedge and compass, a process that had eluded the Greeks. Gauss proved the fundamental theorem of algebra, which states that every polynomial has a root of the form a+bi. In 1801, he proved the fundamental theorem of arithmetic, which states that every natural number can be represented as the product of primes in only one way. At age 24, Gauss published Disquisitiones Arithmeticae (1801), considered to be one of most important mathematical treatises of all time. Gauss also developed the method of least squares fitting, 10 years before Adrien-Marie Legendre, but did not publish his findings. His breadth of knowledge was expansive, from the theory of numbers, to algebra, analysis, geometry, probability, and the theory of errors. He applied these and other insights to an equally impressive range of empirical and theoretical research in observational astronomy, celestial mechanics, surveying, geodesy, capillarity, geomagnetism, electromagnetism, mechanism optics, and actuarial science.
Further Reading Fundamental theorem of algebra (University of St. Andrews, Scotland, School of Mathematics and Statistics) Gauss - Biography (University of St. Andrews, Scotland, School of Mathematics and Statistics)
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