RESUME OF LEONHARD EULER
I, Leonhard Euler, was born on April 15, 1707 in Basel, Switzerland. At age 13, I began my studies at the University of Basel and also studied privately with Johann Bernoulli. In 1723 I received my M. Phil having completed a dissertation comparing the philosophies of Descartes and Newton. I received my Ph.D. in 1726 with a dissertation on the propagation of sound.
In 1727 I became a professor of physiology at the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, Russia. Three years later I moved to the physics department and in 1733 was promoted to the position of director of the Department of Mathematics (my true love). In the 14 years that I worked at the Academy of Sciences, I published about 90 works on subjects ranging from pure math to lunar theory.
In 1741 Frederick the Great invited me to become the Director of Mathematics at the Berlin Academy. I stayed there for 25 years during which time I published about 380 articles and tutored the Princess of Anhalt-Dessau, the niece of Frederick the Great.
In 1766 I returned, as Director, to the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg and published over 400 works while there.
I have published roughly 900 papers, memoirs, and books over the course of my career. Some highlights of my academic work are as follows: In 1936, I wrote Mechanica which applied mathematical analysis to Newtonian particle dynamics. I invented the calculus of variation and to introduce it, in 1744, wrote The Art of Finding Curves Which Possess Some Property of Maximum or Minimum. This is a general method of understanding the form of a curve which deals with maxima and minima of definite integrals and permits determination of the shortest distance between 2 points on a curved surface. In 1748 I wrote Introductio in analysin infinitorum, which explains exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions, and their relationships. Between 1755 and 1770 I published three volumes on differential and integral calculus which were seminal: Institutiones calculi differentialis and Institutiones calculi integralis. As a result of my instruction of the Princess of Anhalt-Dessau, I published Lettres a une Princesse d’Allemagne. These were 234 letters, accessible to non-experts, about philosophy and natural sciences covering subjects ranging from mechanics, to physical optics, to astronomy, to sound. This volume has become very popular with the public. In 1770 I wrote Vollstandige Anleitung zur Algebra which dealt with algebra (through cubic and quadratic equations) and number theory. In addition, I wrote elementary and advanced math textbooks for Russian schools, and a variety of other textbooks on subjects ranging from mechanics, to mathematical analysis, to analytic and differential geometry — all of them eminently readable.
My intellectual accomplishments are numerous. In the area of pure math, I introduced the concept of functions [f(x)], developed the modern notation for trigonometric functions, and defined trigonometric values as ratios. I named the base of the natural logarithmic function – Euler’s number or “e”. I created nomenclature for crucial mathematical concepts like summation and imaginary unit (i). I furthered the use of the letter pi to mean the ratio between a circle’s circumference and its diameter. I developed power series (sums of infinite numbers of terms) in calculus and discovered power series expansions for “e”. I discovered the inverse tangent function. I solved the Basel Problem in 1735 by assuming that properties of finite series hold true for infinite series. I introduced the use of exponential functions and logarithms in analytic proofs. I defined logarithms for negative and complex numbers. I defined exponential functions for complex numbers and proved that “e” is irrational. I introduced the gamma function. Through the process of inventing the calculus of variation I developed the Euler-Lagrange equation which is used to solve optimization problems. I took the first steps in proving Fermat’s Theorem, and proved Newton’s identities.
I developed analytic number theory by creating the law of quadratic reciprocity and by making progress toward the prime number theorem. I developed the first theorem of graph theory by solving the Seven Bridges of Konigsberg problem.
I developed ways of using calculus which forever changed physics, astronomy, engineering, orbital mechanics and particle dynamics. In the area of applied math I created analytic mechanics and developed tools making it easier to apply calculus and differential equations to physical problems like the bending of beams, the safety load of columns, and the effect of stars, comets, moons, etc. on the orbits of planets. My work led to the development of telescopes and microscopes and improved navigational techniques. I even developed a theory of the tides.
Over the course of my life I won the Paris Academy Prize Problem twelve separate times and for development of the calculus of variation was elected to the Royal Society of London and to its Paris Academy. But my greatest honor was in being known, by my peers as the preeminent mathematician of the 18th century.
Works Cited
Bell, E. T. Men of Mathematics. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1937.
James, Ioan. Remarkable Mathematicians: From Euler to von Neumann. 2002. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Knight, Judson. “Leonhard Euler.” Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery 4 (2000): 251-252. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. NCC Lib., Garden City, NY. 2 Nov. 2007 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/?db=GVRL>.
“Leonhard Euler.” Encyclopedia of World Biography 5 (2004): 331-332. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. NCC Lib., Garden City, NY. 1 Nov. 2007 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/?db=GVRL>.
“Leonhard Euler.” en.Wikipedia.org. 1 Nov. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2 Nov. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler>.
Lerner, K. Lee. “The Elaboration of the Calculus.” Science and Its Times:Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery 4 (2000): 216-219. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. NCC Lib., Garden City, NY. 2 Nov. 2007 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/ieb/?db=GVRL>.
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