My
identity as a woman as a woman as been revealed once again, and for the second
time, it has not had nearly as negative repercussions as I had anticipated! The
first time I was discovered to be Sophie and not Monsieur Le Blanc was by Joseph-Louis Lagrange, a professor at L’École
Polytechnique. Since women are not allowed to study at the Polytechnique, I
took on the name of a former student, Antoine-August Le Blanc, and managed to obtain the lecture notes and problems intended for
him. After turning in problem sheets under his name for months, Lagrange
requested a meeting with Le Blanc. Apparently, he was not only impressed with
my solutions but the remarkable transformation of Le Blanc, who was known to be
particularly abysmal at math during his time spent at the University. I was
quite scared, for I feared my meeting with Lagrange would jeopardize his
perception of my mathematical prowess, and that once he saw that I was a woman
he would dismiss me with disgust. Nonetheless, I decided to follow through with
his request, and was pleased to find that he was both astonished and impressed
to meet my true self. I am very grateful to Lagrange, for he took my work
seriously, unlike my previous mentors, and gave me the feedback and guidance
that I was looking for. His support gave me confidence in my studies, and I
soon began to delve into unexplored areas of math, especially in number theory.
This is when I began to take a keen interest in Fermat’s Theorem. His theorem
is:
xn + yn = zn
Fermat’s
theorem was found without proof in about AD 250, in the margin of an ancient
Greek text. After several years, I
finally made a breakthrough on his theorem and felt compelled to discuss my
ideas with a fellow number theorist. I contact the renowned Carl Friedrich Gauss
under my pseudonym Monsieur Le Blanc. My approach to the theorem was different
from past attempts in that my goal was not to prove that only one equation had
no solutions, but to say something about several equations. I relayed to Gauss
that I discovered if ‘p’ is a prime number, then 2p + 1 is also prime.
Therefore, for values of n with these primes, there are probably no solutions to the equation. I say probably because if
there were a solution, then either x, y, or z would be a multiple of n. I was rather nervous about this first letter, for Gauss is
regarded as one of the finest mathematicians in the world. To my delight, he
responding enthusiastically, saying, "I am delighted that
arithmetic has found in you so able a friend"(Singh).
However,
I write to now because the inevitable has occurred; Gauss has discovered I am
not truly Monsieur Le Blanc. I have just finished reading his response to my
letter, and his acceptance was genuinely heartwarming. I have taped an excerpt
of his to the page so I never forget these words.
I hope
this is a sign that in future, intellectual women will begin to be recognized with the
same respect as men in their endeavors.
À
bientot,
Sophie
Germain
Singh, Simon. "Math's Hidden Woman." PBS.
PBS, 26 Oct. 0097. Web. 16 May 2014.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/sophie-germain.html>.
Ms. Germain,
ReplyDeleteAs I have said before, you are truly one of the most intellectually sound people I know. Your passion for math is astounding, and you are able to maintain your passion despite the fact that you are not supposed to because you are a woman. I can tell that you are developing the same fever for math that I had. It is a wonderful trait that you have perfected. I also commend you on not shying down from any challenges that you have faces. Whether it be the difficulties you face as a woman, or those in math. Continue to push for what you want, and you will achieve it. I would love to know about lagrange's reaction to meeting your true self. Do you think he was more impressed because you were a woman? Best of luck until we talk again.
-Archimedes
Ms. Germain,
ReplyDeleteYou are such a strong woman i can't begin to understand what you had to go through to get your education. I am so glad that you have found a mentor that has taken your your seriously so you can further work and learn. I am so impressed on how you have been faced with so many challenges yet never back down to them. It seems you have been making tremendous progress in your work and hope that you keep having the success you are currently experiencing. It would be great to hear about the actual event in which Lagrange met you in real life. I hope to write to you again soon for I love to hear about your life endeavors.
Farewell, Brahmagupta