Sophie Germain

mathematician · French · problem-solver · history

Taught herself secretly. Sophie's parents didn't want her to study math, so she sneaked books from her father's library and taught herself by reading works by famous mathematicians like Euler. She learned so much that she eventually started writing letters to brilliant mathematicians using a fake man's name so they would take her ideas seriously.

Won a major prize. The Paris Academy of Sciences awarded her a grand prize for her groundbreaking essay on elasticity, which is how materials bend and move. This was a huge honor, especially for a woman in the 1800s when most people didn't believe women could do mathematics.

Unlocked ancient mysteries. Sophie did important work on Fermat's Last Theorem, a super tricky math problem that had stumped mathematicians for hundreds of years. Her ideas gave other mathematicians helpful clues that they used for centuries after her death.

Worked against the odds. Even though she couldn't get a job as a mathematician because society didn't respect women in science, Sophie kept working independently her whole life. She refused to give up on her passion for discovery.

Honored after death. After Sophie died, people realized how amazing she was and named a street and a school after her in France. The Academy of Sciences even created the Sophie Germain Prize to celebrate mathematicians who do important work.