unknown, but does not include the previously published Ars
conjectandi.1755 lEuler introduces the Greek letter sigma, notated as Σand
called the SIGMA NOTATION, as the symbol for summation.
lGabriel Cramer publishes his famous book of algebraic
curves modeled from Newton’s memoirs, entitled
Introduction à l’analyse des lignes courbes algébraique.1766 lEuler coins the term “calculus of variations.”
1771 lEuler’s house burns down, and he loses much of his work,
which he later rewrites with improvements. Shortly after the
fire, Euler undergoes a cataract operation, and within a few
days goes completely blind. Half of his published work is
written over the next 12 years.1777 lEuler designates ias the √
−
–1.1785 lPIERRE-SIMON LAPLACEgives his 16-year-old mathematics
student, Napoleon Bonaparte, a passing grade.1794 lMARIE-SOPHIE GERMAINassumes the identity of Monsieur
Le Blanc, a former student at the college she was unable to
attend as a woman, and begins her incognito studies of
mathematics with Lagrange. He eventually will discover
her true identity and inspire her to begin work on
FERMAT’S LAST THEOREM, which becomes her biggest
contribution to mathematics.1797 lCARL FRIEDRICH GAUSSdevises the PROOFfor the
FUNDAMENTAL THEOREM OF ALGEBRA, putting an end to the
250-year-long search for a formula to solve the QUINTIC, or
fifth degree, equation. He is 20 years old.1798 lGauss constructs a 17-sided POLYGON, the HEPTADECAGON,
using just a straightedge and a compass.1799 lA slab of basalt rock is found, with writings carved into it in
three languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic, Egyptian demotic,
and Greek. Known as the Rosetta Stone, this rock will make
it possible to decipher the Ahmes papyrus, discovered some
100 years later, and written nearly 4,000 years earlier.1755 – 1799 CHRONOLOGY
1755 – 1799 CHRONOLOGY