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Leonhard Euler
| Term Paper Title |
Leonhard Euler |
| # of Words |
530 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) |
2.12 |
Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler, (born April 15, 1707, died Sept. 18, 1783), was the most
prolific mathematician in history. His 866 books and articles represent about
one third of the entire body of research on mathematics, theoretical physics,
and engineering mechanics published between 1726 and 1800. In pure mathematics,
he integrated Leibniz's differential calculus and Newton's method of fluxions
into mathematical analysis; refined the notion of a function; made common many
mathematical notations, including e, i, the pi symbol, and the sigma symbol; and
laid the foundation for the theory of special functions, introducing the beta
and gamma transcendal functions. He also worked on the origins of the calculus
of variations, but withheld his work in deference to J. L. Lagrange. He was a
pioneer in the field of topology and made number theory into a science, stating
the prime number theorem and the law of biquadratic reciprocity. In physics he
articulated Newtonian dynamics and laid the foundation of analytical mechanics,
especially in his Theory of the Motions of Rigid Bodies (1765). Like his teacher
Johann Bernoulli, he elaborated continuum mechanics, but he also set forth the
kinetic theory of gases with the molecular model. With Alexis Clairaut he
studied lunar theory. He also did fundamental research on elasticity, acoustics,
the wave theory of light, and the hydromechanics of ships.
Euler was born in Basel, Switzerland. His father, a pastor, wanted his
son to follow in his footsteps and sent him to the University of Basel to
prepare for the ministry, but geometry soon became his favorite subject. Through
the intercession of Bernoulli, Euler obtained his father's consent to change his
major to mathematics. After fail
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