Leonhard Euler: The Most Prolific Mathematician in History
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 failing to obtain
a physics position at Basel in 1726, he joined the St. Petersburg Academy of Science in
1727. When funds were withheld from the academy, he served as a medical lieutenant in the
Russian navy from 1727 to 1730. In St. Petersburg he boarded at the home of Bernoulli's
son Daniel. He became professor of physics at the academy in 1730 and professor of
mathematics in 1733, when he married and left Bernoulli's house. His reputation grew
after the publication of many articles and his book Mechanica (1736-37), which
extensively presented Newtonian dynamics in the form of mathematical analysis for the
first time.
In 1741, Euler joined the Berlin Academy of Science, where he remained for 25 years. In
1744 he became director of the academy's mathematics section. During his stay in Berlin,
he wrote over 200 articles, three books on mathematical analysis, and a scientific
popularization, Letters to a Princess of Germany (3 vols., 1768-72). In 1755 he was
elected a foreign member of the Paris Academy of Science; during his career he received
12 of its prestigious biennial prizes.
In 1766, Euler returned to Russia, after Catherine the Great had made him a generous
offer. At the time, Euler had been having differences with Frederick the Great over
academic freedom and other matters. Frederick was greatly angered at his departure and
invited Lagrange to replace him. In Russia, Euler became almost entirely blind after a
cataract operation, but was able to continue with his research and writing. He had a
phenomenal memory and was able to dictate treatises on optics, algebra, and lunar motion.
At his death in 1783, he left a vast backlog of articles. The St. Petersburg Academy
continued to publish them for nearly 50 more years.
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