Johann Carl Fredrich Gauss

Johann Carl Fredrich Gauss Johann Carl Fredrich Gauss was born on April 30, 1777, in Brunswick, Germany. He was an only child, of a poor working class family. He had a harsh father who was a gardener and brick-layer; he was discouraging and discouraged his son of schooling. His father really wanted him to follow in his footsteps instead of attending school. Unlike his father his mother realized how smart he was and knew that he would need schooling to further his intelligence. When he was seven years old he started his education by attending elementary school. In 1788 he began learning German and Latin, after receiving a stipend from the Duke of Braunshweig, he entered Collegium Carolinum in 1792. Shortly after that he went to study at the University of Göttingen from 1795 to 1798. One of the most important discoveries that Johann Carl Fredrich Gauss made was at the end of his college years, he discovered something that at the time mathematics did not believe was possible. He discovered that a regular polygon with 17 sides could be drawn using just a compass and a straight edge. The first theorem he proved was, “The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra.” This theorem says that every algebraic equation has at least one root or solution. Later he published a book called, “Disquisitions Arithmetic” which he published in 1801. It showed the study of the number theory and also provided proof for, “The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra.” Also he calculated the orbit of asteroid Ceres, and was able to predict its correct position on the basis of very few accurate observations. When he was older he had six children, and none of them went into the field of mathematics. He was a depressed man because he never recovered from his loved ones dying. First his first wife died, then his son. The after that his second wife passed away after battling an illness for a long time. Johann Carl Fredrich Gauss died on February 23, 1855 in Göttingen, Germany from natural causes in his sleep.