Mathematicians Of The Day

18th April



On this day in 1831, Sophie Germain wrote a letter to her friend Libri which describes Galois' situation.
... the death of M. Fourier, have been too much for this student Galois who, in spite of his impertinence, showed signs of a clever disposition. All this has done so much that he has been expelled form École Normale. He is without money ... They say he will go completely mad. I fear this is true.

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Quotation of the day

From Albert Einstein
It is nothing short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiousity of inquiry.
Quoted in H Eves Return to Mathematical Circles (Boston 1988).