Shashank Kanojia

Dr. Desipio
AP Physics II
October 24, 2010
Gauss Report- W/ the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra (FTA)
Considered one of the smartest in history, Carl Friedrich Gauss was a child prodigy who helped
contribute in many fields, like Physics, Astronomy, and greatly in Mathematics. Born in April 30, 1777 in
Braunschweig, Germany to a poor working class family, Gauss’s greater mental capabilities were made
apparent at the age of 3, when he helped correct one of his father’s financial calculations. As he got
older, while attending the University of Gottingen Gauss started to independently rediscover important
theorems in number theory, including proving the quadratic reciprocity law, which allows
mathematicians to find the solvability of any quadratic function in modular arithmetic. Upon graduation
from the University, Gauss compiled all of the theorems pertaining to number theory in his book
Disquisitiones Arithmeticae, making it easier to reference the works of many when working with number
theory. Also, the book also included his addition of the symbol ≡ for congruence, which allowed for
“clean presentations” of modular arithmetic.
In 1801, Gauss contributed to the field of astronomy by rediscovering the lost “planet” Ceres. By
using math, Gauss was able to derive a conic section equation for space and the travel of the planet
using the distance the planet traveled in a certain amount of time. In this work, Gauss made up and used
comprehensive approximation methods. The theory Gauss used was the theory of the motion of
planetoids disturbed by large planets, or the effect of large objects in space on a smaller object’s path as
projected by conic sections with a foci at the sun. Due to his success in the Astronomy field, he hunted
for a position in Astronomy, which he got in 1807 when he was appointed the Professor of Astronomy
and the Director of the observatory in Gottingen, a post he held for the rest of his life.
In his 1799 doctorate, “A new proof of the theorem that every integral rational algebraic
function of one variable can be resolved into real factors of the first or second degree”, Gauss proved the
Fundamental Theorem of Algebra. This Theorem states that every non-constant single-variable
polynomial over the complex numbers has at least one root. The first attempt to prove this FTA was
d’Alembert; however, it was Gauss who is considered to have its first satisfactory proof. During his
lifetime, Gauss came up with four different proofs to the theorem, which covered a timespan of fifty
years combined. He came up with his first proof in 1797, which he published in 1799 at the age of 22.
Included in his explanation of the proof were critiques of previous “solutions” by d’Alembert, Euler,
Fontenex, etc. All of these previous attempts presupposed that the roots of the polynomial can be
obtained as complex numbers. In his proof, however, he presupposes that the roots can be obtained as
real numbers. Even though his proof was considered the most satisfactory, Gauss’s proof on the FTA was
still not fully proved (this would happen in 1920).
Gauss also stated to have discovered the idea of non-Euclidean geometries but never published
it. This discovery freed mathematicians from the wrong belief that Euclid’s axioms were the only way to
make geometry non-contradictory and consistent. Research on these geometries led to Albert Einstein’s
theory of relativity, which basically describes the whole, wide, universe as non-Euclidean. Considering
the consequences of Gauss’s theory, this discovery was a major paradigm shift in mathematics. Gauss
worked on this theory for about 30-35 years throughout his life.
In 1831, Gauss started working closely with Wilhelm Weber, a physics professor, which led to
new knowledge in magnetism. The new discoveries included finding a representation for the unit of
magnetism in terms of mass, length, and the time. Additionally, they were able to discover Kirchhoff’s
circuit laws in electricity. Using their new knowledge, Gauss and Wilhelm made the first
electromechanical telegraph in 1833, which used the magnetism to operate.
Gauss died in Gottingen, Germany on the 23 rd of February 18 at the age of 77. Throughout his
life, Gauss made over 50 contributions to the betterment of the understanding and development of
fields including number theory, statistics, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics,
electrostatics, astronomy, and optics. We still use many of his mathematical equations and theorems
today, like Gauss’s Law, which we use in physics to calculate the flux, etc. Carl Friedrich Gauss is truly
one of history’s greatest minds.

Gauss’s personal life, in comparison with his academic life, was not so much of a success. He had
six children, three from his first wife and three from his second. His first wife, Johanna Osthoff, died in
1809, closely followed by the death of their child Louis. His wife’s death changed his personal life, and
he never fully recovered from that tragedy. He married again to Friederica Wilhelmine Waldect, who
was commonly known as Minna and was Johanna’s best friend. She too died, in 1831, after a long
illness. After the death of his second wife, one of Gauss’s and Friederica’s daughters, Therese, cared for
Gauss and took over the household until he died in 1855.
Gauss was considered to be a perfectionist, who would not publish any of his work until he was
absolutely sure there were no problems with it. Also, he was extremely dedicated with his work, and
would not tolerate any interruption of his work. It is stated that once someone interrupted his work to
tell him that his wife was dying, and he told his wife to wait until he was done with the problem.
Although he loved mathematics and learning, he disliked teaching. Throughout his life, he took a few
students in, many of whom became great mathematicians, like Richard Dedekind, Bernhard Riemann,
and Friedrich Bessel. He also attended only one single scientific conference in Berlin in 1828, in which he
was a guest speaker for his friend.
Even though Gauss was obsessed with mathematics and the sciences, he did not want any of his
sons to be mathematicians or go into the sciences (women were not looked highly upon in those fields
at the time). The reason was because he did not want them to sully the family name. Eventually, he had
a falling out with all of his sons, two of whom ended up migrating to the United States from Germany.
With one of his sons, Eugene, whom Gauss wanted to become a lawyer, Gauss had a fight and Eugene
left for the U.S. There, Eugene became quite successful. Wilhelm, who also went to America, became a
farmer, and later became wealthy in the shoe business in St. Louis.
A strange but brilliant man, Gauss’s personal life was not as bright, and full to bursting with as
many accomplishments as his academic life was, some could say that his personal life was nonexistent.
Let’s just be happy we cared more about his mathematical contributions to society than anything else.

The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra (FTA)

-Every Polynomial f(x) which is an element of the set of real numbers with real coefficients can be
factored into linear and quadratic factors.
Part I:
-Gauss started with a real polynomial:
; Where x is an indeterminate
-indeterminate: irreducible quadratic factor over the Real:
With r>0, the roots of which are:
-when we substitute into the polynomial and separate the equation into real
and imaginary parts we can form 2 expressions, as denoted by J and K.:
-Gauss believed that the two equations were polar curves in polar coordinates (r, ) and wanted to
prove there was a point of intersection at point ( rcos( ) , rsin( ) ).

-Take Derivatives with respect to :

J’=
K’=

-We can observe that the first term of (J)(J’) + (K)(K’)=

-which means (J)(J’) + (K)(K’) is positive for a large value of r.

-Next, we want to take the second derivative of the function:
J’’=
K’’=
****If the curves do not intersect, which would mean that [ J^2 + K^2 ] is not always zero, that would
mean that no complex root exists.****
Part II:
-Here, Gauss uses a double integral to find the limiting behavior (Omega or ), of the function Y
with respect to drd( ):
Y=

-It does not matter how you integrate, by differentiation you get:

; If you start with 0 and 2 , you will get omega= 0. So

you start off integrating from 0 to R, where you will get an indefinite integral:
Conclusion to proof:
Looking back at the definitions of J and K, for r=0 this expression is zero. But for r=R it is positive. So this
indefinite integral, integrated from 0 to R, is positive, and therefore is positive too. The thing
we saw before in the first part where J and K are never both zero leads to a contradiction, and the proof
is complete.

Gauss’s approach to the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra was unlike anything the other
mathematicians had done up to his time. For starters, instead of thinking of the polynomial as a set of
complex numbers, which everyone else believed it to be, he went around the bush by stating that the
solution was not in the set of complex numbers, but in real numbers. This method of thinking really
helped Gauss succeed in his various fields of study, especially in Mathematics. Combined with his genius,
Gauss was one to think outside of the box, and was not one to follow the “rules” when it came to finding
solutions to the problems. Throughout history, the greatest discoveries in math and science come from
scientists and mathematicians free will of thinking. For example, Albert Einstein, who failed elementary
school because his teacher did not like the way he learned, by asking questions.
To conclude, Gauss had a huge impact on mathematics and physics, helping us find solutions to
the problems that eluded distinguished mathematicians for years upon end. By helping tie mathematical
concepts together, Gauss has helped us by laying the foundation for progress and growth to continue in
both the fields of Math and Physics; future generations will build up on his work to further widen the
academic fields. Where would we be today if Gauss would not have come along? Thank god we don’t
have to know.