Todd Wenrich

Prof. Daepp

10/27/99

Human Gender and Mathematics

Is there a difference in the mathematical ability between men and women? Historians have no precise method of quantifying or comparing their individual accomplishments (Olsen). Not only in mathematics, but also in many other career areas in the past, women were looked upon as inferior to their male counterparts. Women were not encouraged to pursue a career in mathematics. Historically, women were seen working around the home, cleaning the house, taking care of the children, and cooking the food. Even if they did pursue a career in mathematics, their research was sometimes viewed as questionable. I will defend the fact that, "Women have the same capabilities of achieving in mathematics than men do." However, you probably have heard of more male mathematicians than female mathematicians because historically, the male is labeled to be smarter in the subject of mathematics. In many cases this is not true. Women were viewed upon as equal in mathematical ability when they began making amazing discoveries in mathematics, began to stick up for their rights, and began to be accepted by their male counterparts as equal. An unknown author once wrote, "To understand the development of mathematics, we must have a picture of the men who made the science"(Olsen). Like many other statements about male mathematicians, you rarely find any trace of their female counterparts. Jean Dumee, a French astronomer, stated that women are not incapable of study, if they wish to make the effort, because between the brain of a woman and that of a man there is no difference (Olsen). Women mathematicians have been around for centuries and have had amazing contributions to the field of mathematics. Women like Hypatia, Sophie Germain, and Maria Agnesi are just a few female mathematicians that shocked many of their peers, especially men, when they discovered ideas that men were not able to discover. Hypatia was born in 370 in Alexandria, Egypt. Hypatia was known as a mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. She was credited with the invention of the astrolabe, a device used in studying astronomy. However, she was better known for her work in mathematics, primarily for her ideas on conic sections. Her concepts developed ideas on hyperbolas, parabolas, and ellipses. Hypatia was the first woman to have such a profound impact on the survival of early thought in mathematics (Scott). Maria Gaetana Agnesi was born in Milan on May 16, 1718. By the age of twenty, she began working on her most important work, Analytical Institutions, dealing with differential and integral calculus. Analytical Institutions also deals with the analysis of finite quantities, problems of maxima, minima, tangents, inflection points, the analysis of infinitely small quantities, and differential quantities. She is also known for the curve called the "Witch of Agnesi," which states that the x-axis is always horizontal and that the y-axis is always vertical (Scott). Maria Gaetana Agnesi

Sophie Germain was born in Paris on April 1,1776. She collected most of her information from the Ecole Polytechnique, where women were not allow to enroll. She was first noticed when she submitted an analysis to J. L. Lagrange under the pseudonym of M. LeBlanc. Lagrange was surprised when he met LeBlanc, finding out that LeBlanc was really Sophie Germain. Lagrange introduced her to other mathematicians who she would have not been able to meet if she had tried by herself. She is best known for her work in number theory, where she proved that if x, y, and z are integers and if x^5 + y^5 = z^5 then either x, y, or z must be divisible by 5. Germain’s theorem is a major step toward proving Fermat’s Last Theorem for the case where n equals 5 (Scott). Her work in the theory of elasticity was also very important to the field of mathematics (Scott).

Women increasingly began sticking up for their rights in the past few centuries. They felt that they were being looked upon as inferior in whatever they did. In earlier times, Germain, like many other female mathematicians, fought against certain female prejudices. Mathematics for women in North America was pioneered by a group of ladies from England. Arnold Dresden quoted on these women, "Mathematics was greatly augmented during the earlier part of the present century by European women who were interested in careers in mathematics and science and who came to America as part of the ‘migration of mathematics’."(Olsen) Lise Meitner, a leading mathematical physicist of the 20^th century, was one of the women who made the migration. She was professor of physics at the University of Berlin during the 1920’s and was the recipient of numerous academic honors. She was very interested in uranium fission, and her initial work helped launch procedures that eventually led to a better understanding of atomic energy (Olsen). Jacqueline Lelong-Ferraud, a twentieth century French mathematician and professor at the University of Paris, researched on the behavior of conformal transformations and representations, Riemann manifolds, and harmonic forms and potential theory. She is credited with originating the concept of preholomorphic functions, using these to produce a new methodology for proofs (Olsen). Paulette Liberman, an algebraic topologist during the mid-twentieth century and professor at the University of Rennes, contributed ideas differentiable fiber spaces, almost complex manifolds, and their generalizations (Olsen). These women were determined to help spread mathematics to the female gender. They were motivated by a particular case that occurred in the 18^th century. French mathematician Emilie du Chatelet was born in Paris on December 13, 1706. In 1740, Chatelet’s book, Institutions de Physique, about the subject of the infinitely small, was discriminated against. Samuel Koenig, a tutor of Chatelet, started a rumor that her book was merely a rehash of his lessons with her. She seeked help from the Academy of Sciences and Maupertuis, but felt that she did not receive the support that she deserved. This was the first time that she felt that being a woman really worked against her (Scott). These "migrants" looked at this and believed that women should not be looked upon as inferior because they had the same capabilities as men did. These pioneers stuck up for their rights and allowed women today to explore into whatever field of study that they want to. More recently, The Association for Women in Mathematics, started by Mary Gray in the 1970’s, was formed to improve the status of women in the profession and to encourage more women to study mathematics (Olsen). This organization, along with many other female organizations began to give a name for the female.

Throughout time, women began to be accepted as equal by their male counterparts. Women were accepted as mathematicians during Pythagoras’ time (500 B.C.). Pythagoras quoted that, "Never before nor since did such a wave of feminine genius pass over the fragrant valleys and vine-clad plains of Greece" (Olsen). Plato and Socrates represented such women as Diotama, Perictione, and Aspasia (Olsen). However, during the Middle Ages, under the influences of Christendom, many European countries were opposed to any form of higher education for females (Scott). Again, women were secluded from any attempt to increase their knowledge. Although the number of women in mathematics is increasing rapidly, their proportion of the total number of mathematicians is declining as men are being trained at a far greater rate than women. Since the early part of the twentieth century the position of women in mathematics has been steadily worsening rather than improving (Olsen).

To conclude, scientific and mathematical ideas are developed and gain currency within practices such as schooling (Walk). In the past, women weren’t encouraged to participate in the so-called male study fields, such as mathematics and science. If the above statement holds true, women were considered inferior to men in these areas because they weren’t schooled at a higher level. In today’s world, women are schooled at the same level as men are, which leads them to participate and excel in these fields. Lastly, female mathematicians have the same capabilities of male mathematicians because they made amazing and important discoveries in mathematics, have stuck up for their gender rights, and most important of all, were accepted by their male counterparts as equal.

Works Cited Page

[1] Olsen, Lynn. Women in Mathematics. New York: The MIT Press, 1974