France: Day 2 - Germain

Today is the birthday of Paul Guldin born 1577 in St. Gall, Switzerland. Guiding made contributions in the areas of volumes and the center of gravity.

Today's quote is by Carl Friedrich Gauss. In a letter to Sophie Germain, Gauss wrote, "The enchanting charms of this sublime science reveal to only those who have the courage to go deeply into it. But when a woman, who because of her sex and our prejudices encounter infinitely more obstacles than a man in familiarizing herself with complicated problems, succeeds nonetheless in surmounting these obstacles and penetrating the obscure parts of them, without doubt she has the noblest courage, quite extraordinary talents and superior genius."

Sophie Germain

Sophie Germain was born April 1, 1776 in Paris, France. When she was 13, the Bastille fell and as a result she was required to stay inside. During this isolation, she taught herself Greek, Latin, and mathematics. Her parents disapproved of her passion for mathematics which at this time was considered an inappropriate field of study for women. Her parents attempted to restrict her studies by eliminating the fire in her room and by removing her clothes. However, Sophie's parents relented when they found her asleep with a frozen ink horn in hand and a slate of equations on her desk. 

Sophie was not allowed to attend to attend an university but was able to obtain lecture notes. She started send comments on the lecture notes under the pseudonym Monsieur Antoine-August Le Blanco. Using this pseudonym, she established a relationship with Carl Gaus and Joseph-Louis Lagrange, two prominent mathematicians. 

Germain made contributions in the areas of elasticity theory, differential geometry, and number theory. A Germain prime number and her additional work on Fermat's Last Theorem enhanced the exploration of the subject for hundreds of years.

I became aware of Sophie Germain through the movie, Proof. I wonder if the gender bias that has been prevalent in the STEM occupations has improved. Our mathematics department consists of 9 teachers, 5 of which are female. I wonder about nonteaching occupations and the pay inequity that exists. I know of at least 10 female, former calculus students that are deeply involved in STEM occupations. I wonder how they are coping?