Sofya Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya
Sofya Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya (January 15, 1850 - February 10, 1891), better known in the West as Sonya Kovalevsky, was a Russian mathematician and a pioneer for women in science, being one of the first women in Europe to earn a doctorate in mathematics. Her research contributed to mathematical analysis, partial differential equations, and mechanics. Among her most important achievements is the Cauchy-Kovalevskaya theorem, which provides conditions for the existence of solutions to differential equations. She also made significant studies on the rings of Saturn and the rotation of a rigid body, becoming a central figure in the development of modern mathematics. Additionally, she was the first woman to hold a full professorship in mathematics at a European university (University of Stockholm).
Quotes
- Say what you know, do what you must, come what may.
- Many people who have not studied mathematics confuse it with arithmetic and consider it a dry and fruitless science. In reality, however, it is a science which requires a great amount of imagination.
See also
Augustin Louis Cauchy