MATHEMATICS DURING 18TH CENTURY

Leonhard Euler
 Definitive statement of classical (Euclidean)
geometry, use of axioms and postulates, many
formulas, proofs and theorems including Euclid’s
Theorem on infinitude of primes.

The Bernoulli Brothers
 A single family, the Bernoulli’s, produced
half a dozen outstanding mathematicians over a
couple of generations at the end of the 17th and
start of the 18th Century.
 The Bernoulli family was a prosperous
family of traders and scholars from the free city of
Basel in Switzerland, which at that time was the
great commercial hub of central Europe.
 The brothers, Jacob and Johann Bernoulli, however, flouted their father's wishes for them to
take over the family spice business or to enter respectable professions like medicine or the
ministry, and began studying mathematics together.
 After Johann graduated from Basel University, the two developed a rather jealous and
competitive relationship.
 Johann in particular was jealous of the elder Jacob's position as professor at Basel University,
and the two often attempted to outdo each other.
 After Jacob's early death from tuberculosis, Johann took over his brother's position, one of his
young students being the great Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler.
 However, Johann merely shifted his jealousy toward his own talented son, Daniel (at one point,
Johann published a book based on Daniel's work, even changing the date to make it look as
though his book had been published before his son's).


Jacob
Johann
The Three L’s
Joseph Lagrange
Pierre-Simon Laplace
Adrien-Marie Legendre