Texas Professor Uses Fictional Story to Envision How Sophie Germain Taught Herself Mathematics
Historians and mathematicians have written about a woman who became associated with the greatest scholars of the 19th century such as Gauss, Lagrange, Poisson, Legendre and others. Many have wondered how a young woman became a great mathematician during a time when women were not permitted into the centers of higher learning.
Arlington, TX (PRWEB) May 29, 2004 -
— Starting with the scant biographical information available about Sophie Germain author Dora Musielak began to piece together a story of a young Parisian girl who discovers mathematics at the beginning of 1789, a time that coincides with the start of the French Revolution. Armed with her own experience and love for mathematics Dora Musielak develops a fictional character, Sophie, inspired by the real Sophie Germain. Using the format of a personal diary Musielak writes how this shy 13-year-old girl, who has been taught basic arithmetic by her father, begins to read about the ancient scholars and becomes fascinated by mathematics. Without a tutor to guide her Sophie reads everything relevant in her father’s library, and the more she reads the more she wants to learn mathematics. Her mother, however, is not sympathetic to her daughter’s interests and tries to steer her away from a subject that is considered unfeminine. But Sophie prevails. As the French Revolution intensifies she begins to master algebra and arithmetic and her hunger for knowledge intensifies.
Dora MusielakÂ’s account attempts to put in perspective the challenges of learning alone. Her fictional character Sophie, although timid and soft-spoken, is resourceful and develops the courage to approach those who might provide her with the tools to learn more. But like Sophie Germain herself, the character in SophieÂ’s Diary is also frustrated at the lack of opportunities to obtain the education that she eagerly desires but that is reserved for men.
Dora Musielak has always loved mathematics and has pursued it since childhood. She holds a Ph. D. in aerospace engineering and has taught science and mathematics courses at several universities. She lectures on the role and contributions of women scientists and mathematicians, and has become an expert on the history of mathematics. Born in Mexico, Musielak currently lives and works with her husband, Zdzislaw, in Texas.
SophieÂ’s Diary is a must read for anybody interested in women and mathematics and will be an invaluable resource and inspiration for high school students and their teachers. (ISBN: 1-418-40812-3), April 2004, AuthorHouse. It can be purchased directly from AuthorHouse by calling 888-280-7715, or by ordering from the web site at www. authorhouse. com. The price for the paperback is $11.50.
