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    Leonhard Euler was a Swiss mathematician born in 1707 who became one of the greatest mathematicians of the 18th century. He published over 800 papers and books in his lifetime, even after becoming blind later in life. Euler made important contributions across many areas of mathematics, including calculus, graph theory, trigonometry, and number theory. He introduced modern mathematical terminology and notation that is still used today, such as the constant e and the imaginary unit i. Euler spent much of his career in Russia, where he worked on problems in physics and astronomy in addition to mathematics.

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    Euler

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    Leonhard Euler was a Swiss mathematician born in 1707 who became one of the greatest mathematicians of the 18th century. He published over 800 papers and books in his lifetime, even after becoming blind later in life. Euler made important contributions across many areas of mathematics, including calculus, graph theory, trigonometry, and number theory. He introduced modern mathematical terminology and notation that is still used today, such as the constant e and the imaginary unit i. Euler spent much of his career in Russia, where he worked on problems in physics and astronomy in addition to mathematics.

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    Leonhard Euler was a Swiss mathematician born in 1707 who became one of the greatest mathematicians of the 18th century. He published over 800 papers and books in his lifetime, even after becoming blind later in life. Euler made important contributions across many areas of mathematics, including calculus, graph theory, trigonometry, and number theory. He introduced modern mathematical terminology and notation that is still used today, such as the constant e and the imaginary unit i. Euler spent much of his career in Russia, where he worked on problems in physics and astronomy in addition to mathematics.

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    Euler

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    Leonhard Euler was a Swiss mathematician born in 1707 who became one of the greatest mathematicians of the 18th century. He published over 800 papers and books in his lifetime, even after becoming blind later in life. Euler made important contributions across many areas of mathematics, including calculus, graph theory, trigonometry, and number theory. He introduced modern mathematical terminology and notation that is still used today, such as the constant e and the imaginary unit i. Euler spent much of his career in Russia, where he worked on problems in physics and astronomy in addition to mathematics.

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    Mary Wyrzykowski

    Professor Smith

    Problem Solving and Assessment in the Middle & Adolescent Grades

    3 March 2015

    Famous Mathematicians: Leonhard Euler

    Leonhard Euler was born on April 15, 1707 to Paul Euler and Margaret Brucker in Basel,

    Switzerland (Soylent Communications). Originally, Leonhard was to become a clergyman like his

    father (Scientists). At the age of thirteen, he enrolled in the University of Basel. In 1723, Leonhard

    earned his Masters in Philosophy (People). Euler encountered Johann Bernoulli. According to Euler's

    autobiographical writings, I soon found an opportunity to be introduced to a famous professor, Johann

    Bernoulli. ... True, he was very busy and so refused flatly to give me private lessons; but he gave me

    much more valuable advice to start reading more difficult mathematical books on my own and to study

    them as diligently as I could; if I came across some obstacle or difficulty, I was given permission to

    visit him freely every Sunday afternoon and he kindly explained to me everything I could not

    understand ... (O'Connor). After graduating from Basel, Leonhard continued to study to become a

    clergyman as his father wanted. He studied mathematics in his free time (Patterson). Euler obtained

    his father's consent to change to mathematics after Johann Bernoulli had used his persuasion

    (O'Connor).

    This opened the door for Euler to become one of the greatest mathematicians of the 18th century. In

    his lifetime he published 90 volumes, collectively containing 886 papers and books. Many of these

    were written after Euler became blind (Hoffman). Nevertheless, aided by his phenomenal memory

    (and having practiced writing on a large slate when his sight was failing him), he continued to publish

    his results by dictating them (Weisstein). Euler did not let this obstacle get in the way of his work. He

    invented modern trigonometry, graph theory, and the concept of generating functions. His work

    influenced the areas of discrete math, geometry, calculus, and number theory (Allen). Symbols such as
    e, i, and f(x) also came from Euler (Weisstein). e can be used in science to predict the exponential

    growth or decay of a population. The concept of i has influenced novels such as The Davinci Code,

    movies such as Proof, and short stories like The Imaginary (Weisstein). Also by naming different

    functions f(x) and g(x) it makes it easier to distinguish one from the other. This is useful when

    scientists must calculate multiple values at once, such as acceleration, velocity and position. Euler

    demonstrated useful applications of mathematics in technology and public affairs (Encyclopedia

    Britannica).

    He spent most of his time in Berlin and St. Petersburg (Hoffman). Moving to Russia in 1727, Euler

    served in the navy before joining the St. Petersburg Academy as a professor of physics and later

    heading its mathematics division (Bio). Here Euler worked in the areas of telescopic and microscopic

    perception, the production of the human voice, the mechanics of vision, and the theory of sound and

    music (Patterson). In 1741, Fredrick the Great invited Euler to be a member of the Academy of

    Sciences and professor of mathematics in Berlin, Germany (Soylent Communications).Here in addition

    to writing about 380 articles, he taught Princess Anhalt-Dessau of Germany subjects in Natural

    Philosophy through letters (People). Then in 1766, the King of Prussia allowed Euler to come back to

    Russia (Soylent Communications). At this time in his life Euler studied the atmospheres of planets and

    light diffraction (Patterson). He died on September 18, 1783 in St. Petersburg, Russia (O'Connor).

    The history of Euler can be incorporated into the classroom many different ways. This is due to his

    many accomplishments. A science teacher may mention Euler during a discussion on the atmospheres

    of planets or light diffraction. A math teacher could guide their class through making a podcast on

    topics such as e and i and their uses. This lesson would combine Euler's mathematical

    achievements with his work in the theory of human voice production. It would also allow the students

    to interactively put the information into their own words. This may help them understand the concepts

    better. A physics teacher could also mention Leonhard Euler in their lesson.
    Works Cited

    Allen, James Dow. "The Greatest Mathematicians of All Time." N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.

    Boyer, Carl B. "Leonhard Euler." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Mar.

    2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

    Hoffman, Michael. "Leonhard Euler." United States Naval Academy, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

    "Leonhard Euler." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

    "Leonhard Euler Biography." Famous People. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

    "Leonhard Euler." Famous Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

    "Leonhard Euler." NNDB. Soylent Communications, 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

    O'Connor, J. J., and E. F. Robertson. "Leonhard Euler." MacTutor History of Mathematics. School of

    Mathematics and Statistics University of St Andrews, Scotland, 23 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

    Patterson, Simon. "Leonhard Euler - a Greatest Mathematician of All times." EIMI: History. Petersburg

    Department of Steklov Institute of Mathematics, 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

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