Leonhard Euler
Mathematician · 1707-1783 · Mathematics, stage 3: Meet the mathematicians
The most prolific mathematician on record, and the source of much of the notation now taken for granted.
Overview
Euler was born in Basel and spent his career at the academies of St Petersburg and Berlin. In 1735 he settled the Basel problem by showing that the sum of the reciprocals of the squares equals pi squared over six, a result nobody had been able to reach. In 1736 he disposed of the puzzle of the bridges of Königsberg by reducing the city to points and connections, which is the first result in graph theory and an early piece of topological reasoning. He connected the exponential and trigonometric functions through complex numbers, and much of the standard notation, including e, i, the use of f(x) for a function, and the summation sign, is his or was spread by him. He lost his sight in later life and continued to produce work at the same rate by dictation. Start with the Letters to a German Princess, which he wrote for a reader with no training.
Where to start reading
Introductio in analysin infinitorum 1748
A systematic treatment of functions, infinite series, and the exponential and trigonometric functions, which set the shape of analysis textbooks for a century.
Institutiones calculi differentialis 1755
His full treatment of the differential calculus, including the calculus of finite differences.
Letters to a German Princess 1768-1772
Over two hundred letters explaining physics and mathematics to a non-specialist reader, and one of the first successful works of popular science.
Part of
Sources
- Leonhard Euler MacTutor History of Mathematics
- Leonhard Euler Wikipedia
