Gauss (1777～1855)

Member of the Family Society.

Gauss was the son of a farmer. When he was young, he showed extraordinary talent in mathematics. At the age of 3, he could correct his father's calculation errors; at the age of 10, he independently discovered the summation formula of arithmetic series; at the age of 11, he discovered the binomial theorem. The young Gauss's intelligence and precociousness won the favor and support of the prestigious Duke of Brick, which enabled him to continue his studies. Not long after entering university, the 19-year-old Gauss invented a method of making a regular 17-sided polygon using only a compass and a ruler, solving a geometric problem that had remained unresolved for two thousand years. In 1801, he published "Researches in Arithmetic", which elaborated on certain issues in number theory and advanced algebra. He made significant contributions to hypergeometric series, complex functions, statistical mathematics, and elliptic function theory. As a physicist, he collaborated with William Weber to study electromagnetism and invented the electrode. In order to conduct experiments, Gauss also invented the double-wire magnetometer, which was a very practical result of his research on electromagnetic problems. At the age of 30, Gauss served as the director of the Observatory of a famous German university and worked at the observatory until his death. He also enjoyed literature and linguistics throughout his life and knew more than a dozen foreign languages. During his lifetime, he published 323 works (kinds), proposed 404 scientific innovations, and completed 4 important inventions.

After Gauss's death, people erected a statue of him in the city where he was born. To commemorate his discovery of the method of making a 17-sided figure, the base of the statue was shaped into a 17-sided shape. The world recognizes him as a mathematician as famous as Newton, Archimedes and Euler.