The Prince of Mathematics: Carl Friedrich Gauss
Summary
Learn about the boy who - could read and add numbers when he was three years old, - thwarted his teacher by finding a quick and easy way to sum the numbers 1-100, - attracted the attention of a Duke with his genius, and became the man who... - predicted the reappearance of a lost planet, - discovered basic properties of magnetic forces, - invented a surveying tool used by professionals until the invention of lasers. Based on extensive research of original and secondary sources, this historical narrative will inspire young readers and even curious adults with its touching story of personal achievement.
Table of Contents
Child Prodigy (1777–1788)
Counting
Sums
The Duke of Braunschweig
The Schoolroom
Arithmetic
Early Mathematics
The Duke’s Protégé (1788–1798)
Royal Patronage
Gymnasium: High School
Independent Study of Mathematics
The Regular 17-gon
Mathematical Journal
Number Theory
Gifted Astronomer, Father of a Young Family (1798–1814)
Carl Friedrich Gauss, PhD
The Planetoid Ceres
A Wife and a Child
The Duke and St. Petersburg
Professor of Astronomy
Tragedy
Marriage to Minna Waldeck
The Trip to Munich
The New Observatory
Gauss’ Mother
Surveyor of Hannover, Father of a Growing Family (1815–1832)
Surveying
Summers on the Road
Trouble with Eugen
Magnetic Professor, Prince of Mathematics (1833–1855)
Non-Euclidean Geometry
Magnetism
The Göttingen Seven
Looking Back
Index
Editorial Reviews
... a worthwhile book. It is nicely conceived, well researched, and thoughfully written and illustrated. We could use more books of this nature for young readers. I would recommend this book for middle school and secondary school library acquisition.
—Frank J. Swetz, Mathematics Teacher, February 2007
For teachers who value the impact that historical studies in mathematics can have on their students, who incorporate literature into their teaching, or who want to open up a world of mathematics often inaccessible to middle school students, this is an excellent source.
—M. Jayne Fleener, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, February 2007
This book is a novel about Gauss written so as to be comprehensible to young readers... a historical narrative resulting from extensive research of original and secondary sources.
—Peter Fillmore, CMS Notes, February 2007
exceptionally engaging treatment of Gauss' life and accomplishments spiced up here and there with just the right amount of mathematics; particularly suitable for young readers.
—Philip J. Davis, November 2005
In this book, young readers are transported back two centuries to the candlelit world of Carl Friedrich Gauss. M.B.W. Tent's charming tale follows Gauss from his working-class boyhood to the heights of European mathematics-a Horatio Algebra story if ever there was one.
—William Dunham, November 2005
