![]() ![]() In fact, Euler proved that the problem has no solution, but in doing so he made the important conceptual leap of pointing out that the choice of route within each landmass is irrelevant and the only important feature is the sequence of bridges crossed. The problem was to find a route through the city that would cross each bridge once and only once. The city of Königsberg in Prussia (modern-day Kaliningrad in Russia) was set on both sides of the Pregel River, and included two large islands which were connected to each other and the mainland by seven bridges. ![]() ![]() Much of the notation used by mathematicians today - includingĪlso in 1735, Euler solved an intransigent mathematical and logical problem, known as the Seven Bridges of Königsberg Problem, which had perplexed scholars for many years, and in doing so laid the foundations of graph theory and presaged the important mathematical idea of topology. His interests covered almost all aspects of mathematics, from geometry to calculus to trigonometry to algebra to number theory, as well as optics, astronomy, cartography, mechanics, weights and measures and even the theory of music. Today, Euler is considered one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. Despite a long life and thirteen children, Euler had more than his fair share of tragedies and deaths, and even his blindness later in life did not slow his prodigious output - his collected works comprise nearly 900 books and, in the year 1775, he is said to have produced on average one mathematical paper every week - as he compensated for it with his mental calculation skills and photographic memory (for example, he could repeat the Aeneid of Virgil from beginning to end without hesitation, and for every page in the edition he could indicate which line was the first and which the last). Petersburg of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. But, partly due to the overwhelming dominance of the Bernoulli family in Swiss mathematics, and the difficulty of finding a good position and recognition in his hometown, he spent most of his academic life in Russia and Germany, especially in the burgeoning St. Like the Bernoulli’s, he was born in Basel, Switzerland, and he studied for a while under Johann Bernoulli at Basel University. He was plagued by deteriorating eyesight which rendered him almost blind, yet his productivity never suffered.Leonhard Euler was one of the giants of 18th Century mathematics. Two numbers are named after him: Euler's Number in calculus, e, and Euler-Mascheroni Constant, γ, also called “Euler’s constant”. A prolific mathematician, his works cover several areas of the subject such as algebra, geometry, calculus, trigonometry and number theory. Throughout his working career Euler authored several textbooks and memoirs in which he introduced many concepts, especially in the area of mathematical analysis. Euler’s father wanted to prepare him for a career in theology and it was Bernoulli who persuaded his friend to let the boy study mathematics. As luck would have it, Johann Bernoulli, Europe’s foremost mathematician of his time, was a friend of Leonhard’s father and the influence of this great mathematician on the young Leonhard was immense. Euler’s interest in mathematics stemmed from his childhood when his father would teach him the subject. Many concepts of modern mathematics originated from the works of this eminent mathematician whose works also spanned the fields of mechanics, fluid dynamics, optics and astronomy. Leonhard Euler, the 18th century Swiss mathematician and physicist is considered to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time for the tremendous contributions he made to the field of pure mathematics. ![]()
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