Sophie Germain
1776–1831 · French · Enlightenment / Napoleonic Era
Known for: Major contributions to number theory and elasticity theory while writing under a male pseudonym
Sophie Germain taught herself mathematics from books during the French Revolution, then corresponded with Lagrange and Gauss under the male pseudonym 'M. LeBlanc.' Her work on Fermat's Last Theorem (Germain primes) and elastic vibration theory was groundbreaking.
Gauss, upon learning she was a woman, praised her extraordinary talent. She was denied a degree from the Ecole Polytechnique because of her gender but persisted regardless.
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