Carl Friedrich Gauss

Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was born on April 30, 1777, in Brunswick, in the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (now Lower Saxony, Germany). He came from a working-class family; his mother was reportedly illiterate but recognised his exceptional abilities and encouraged his education. Gauss showed prodigious mathematical talent from very early childhood. One frequently cited story, which Gauss himself recounted, is that he corrected an error in his father's payroll calculation at the age of three.

The Duke of Brunswick supported Gauss financially, enabling him to study at the Collegium Carolinum in Brunswick and subsequently at the University of Göttingen from 1795. In 1796, at the age of 18, Gauss proved that a regular heptadecagon (17-sided polygon) could be constructed with compass and straightedge, a discovery that resolved a problem open since antiquity. This result stimulated his decision to pursue mathematics rather than philology.

In 1798 Gauss completed his doctoral dissertation at the University of Helmstedt, providing the first rigorous proof of the fundamental theorem of algebra, which states that every non-constant polynomial with complex coefficients has at least one complex root. In 1801 he published "Disquisitiones Arithmeticae," a systematic treatment of number theory that included the law of quadratic reciprocity, proof of which Gauss later gave in multiple ways, and which he called the "golden theorem."

Also in 1801, Gauss used his method of least squares and orbital mechanics calculations to predict the reappearance of the dwarf planet Ceres after it had been lost to view by astronomers. This prediction was confirmed when Ceres was rediscovered in late 1801, establishing his reputation beyond Germany.

From 1807 Gauss served as professor of astronomy and director of the astronomical observatory at the University of Göttingen, a position he held for the rest of his life. His work covered an enormous range, including the Gaussian distribution in probability theory, the Gauss-Bonnet theorem in differential geometry, contributions to the theory of curved surfaces, geomagnetic studies (the gauss is a unit of magnetic flux density named in his honour), and the development of an electric telegraph with Wilhelm Weber.

Gauss kept extensive mathematical diaries but published selectively, reportedly to release only complete and polished work. Some results later credited to others were found in his diary after his death.

Carl Friedrich Gauss died on February 23, 1855, in Göttingen, aged 77.