Arithmetic and Memorial Practices by and around Sophie Germain in the 19th Century

Jenny Boucard (1)

1 CFV - Centre François Viète : épistémologie, histoire des sciences et des techniques - EA1161

Sophie Germain (1776-1831) is an emblematic example of a woman who produced mathematics in the first third of the nineteenth century. Self-taught, she was recognised for her work in the theory of elasticity and number theory. After some biographical elements, I will focus on her contribution to number theory in the context of the mathematical practices and social positions of the mathematicians of her time. I will then analyse some receptions and uses of Germain's life and scientific work under the French Third Republic.

Domaines: Histoire, Philosophie et Sociologie des sciences

Jenny Boucard. Arithmetic and Memorial Practices by and around Sophie Germain in the 19th Century. Eva Kaufholz-Soldat & Nicola Oswald. Against All Odds.Women’s Ways to Mathematical Research Since 1800, Springer-Verlag, pp.185-230, 2020. ⟨halshs-03195261⟩