Throughout his working career Euler authored several textbooks and memoirs in which he introduced many concepts, especially in the area of mathematical analysis. Euler’s father wanted to prepare him for a career in theology and it was Bernoulli who persuaded his friend to let the boy study mathematics. As luck would have it, Johann Bernoulli, Europe’s foremost mathematician of his time, was a friend of Leonhard’s father and the influence of this great mathematician on the young Leonhard was immense. Euler’s interest in mathematics stemmed from his childhood when his father would teach him the subject. Many concepts of modern mathematics originated from the works of this eminent mathematician whose works also spanned the fields of mechanics, fluid dynamics, optics and astronomy. The young couple bought had 5thirteen children of which only five survived.Īfter his wife’s death in 1773, Euler married her half-sister, Salome Abigail Gsell, and Their marriage lasted until his death in 1783.Leonhard Euler, the 18th century Swiss mathematician and physicist is considered to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time for the tremendous contributions he made to the field of pure mathematics. On 7 January 1734, he married Katharina Gsell daughter of Georg Gsell, a painter from the Academy Gymnasium in Saint Petersburg. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Euler’s birth in 1957, his tomb was moved to the Lazarevskoe Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. In 1837, the Russian Academy of Sciences installed a new monument, replacing his overgrown grave plaque. Petersburg on 18 September 1783, after lunch with his family, Euler was discussing the newly discovered planet Uranus and its orbit with Lexell when he collapsed and died from a brain hemorrhage.Įuler was buried next to Katharina at the Smolensk Lutheran Cemetery on Vasilievsky Island. The use of the Greek letter π to denote the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter was also popularized by Euler, although it originated with Welsh mathematician William Jones. He also introduced the modern notation for the trigonometric functions, the letter e for the base of the natural logarithm (now also known as Euler’s number), the Greek letter Σ for summations, and the letter i to denote the imaginary unit. Most notably, he introduced the concept of a function and was the first to write f( x) to denote the function f applied to the argument x. Euler Introduced the Mathematical NotationĮuler introduced and popularized several notational conventions through his numerous and widely circulated textbooks. An interesting fact about Leonhard Euler is that no other mathematician, past or present, has the distinct honor of having two numbers named after them. The “ e” and the “ γ” in the equations are known as “Euler’s Number” and “Euler Constant,” respectively. Students who love Mathematics will undoubtedly remember his name. In 1723, at the age of 16 years, Euler received a Master of Philosophy with a dissertation that compared the philosophies of René Descartes and Isaac Newton. ![]() ![]() He received private lessons and mathematics books to study from Bernoulli that improved his mathematics grasp. ![]() It was during this time that his father allowed him to become a mathematician rather than a pastor. He received the course on elementary mathematics under the supervision of a family friend Johann Bernoulli. ![]() Euler Earned his Master’s Degree at the Age of 16Įuler enrolled at the University of Basel at the age of 13. He also received private tutoring from a young theologian with a keen interest in mathematics. He enrolled in the Latin school in Basel. His family moved from Basel to the town of Riehen, Switzerland, where he spent most of his childhood.įrom a young age, Euler received schooling in mathematics from his father, who had taken courses from Jacob Bernoulli some years earlier at the University of Basel.Įuler was sent to live at his maternal grandmother’s house when he was around eight years old. Leonhard Euler was the oldest of four children, two younger sisters, and a younger brother.
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