#Leonhard euler fun facts series#

E is a series of numbers that begin with 2.71828. Don't confuse Euler's number with Euler's constant, which is another irrational and non-terminating number that begins with 0.57721.Īs noted above, Euler's number is used to express the base of the natural logarithm.In finance, Euler's number is used to calculate how wealth can grow due to compound interest.Euler's number is used in everything from explaining exponential growth to radioactive decay.An irrational number represented by the letter e, Euler's number is 2.71828., where the digits go on forever in a series that never ends or repeats (similar to pi).Euler's number is an important constant that is found in many contexts and is the base for natural logarithms.Religion (a legacy of his father and upbringing) continued to play an important role in Euler’s life, and he once countered Denis Diderot’s argument in favor of atheism before the Russian monarchy with a mathematical theorem proving the existence of god, leaving Diderot to depart in embarrassment. There are too many academic accomplishments to document adequately here a few examples of Euler’s research include the creation of new mathematical notations, the advancement of infinitesimal calculus, his work in number theory (including the development of Euler’s theorem), work in the field of applied mathematics (including advanced music theory), the creation of Euler diagrams in the field of logic, and in the field of optics, his work in wave theory. He died of a brain hemorrhage, but not before learning about a new planet, Uranus, from Anders Johan Lexell.Īmong his many achievements are work in the fields of physics, mathematics, astronomy, optics, and logic. (In 1775, for example, he produced nearly one research paper per week.)īy 1776, Euler had returned to Russia, where he would live out his years, eventually losing his wife (and marrying her sister). He had a photographic mind and a strong work ethic, and he was able to compensate for any physical challenge. He was forced to leave Berlin as a result of academic posturing, with no less than Voltaire as his nemesis.ĭeteriorating eyesight left Euler nearly blind, but no less academically productive. However, it was a series of letters that expounded on his beliefs and knowledge, from religion to science, that became his most popular work. There he wrote more than 350 articles and two influential texts on differential calculus and functions. With turmoil in Russia, Euler left to take up a position at the Berlin Academy. Eventually Euler became head of the Mathematics Department, married the daughter of a Russian painter, and settled into a domestic life.

Petersburg attracted many foreign scholars. Petersburg, Russia, where the ample resources and renowned library of the Academy of St. (Euler was not defeated, however, and went on to win the contest twelve additional times during his lifetime.)Īfter an unsuccessful attempt at landing a position at the University of Basel, Euler followed Bernoulli’s sons to St. The winner of that contest was a man today considered to be the “father of naval architecture,” Pierre Bouguer. Perceiving his innate talent, Johann Bernoulli convinced Leonhard’s father to let his son follow this mathematical destiny, and by 1726 Euler had completed a dissertation at the University of Basel on the “propagation of sound.” He then went on to take second place for solving the Paris Academy Prize Problem on the best place to locate masts on a ship. He was studying theology, Greek, and Hebrew toward that end, and receiving Saturday lessons from Bernoulli. It was assumed that Leonhard would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a pastor himself. Ironically, Euler might never have made a contribution to mathematics at all, if not for the lucky coincidence that his father, Paul, a Lutheran pastor, was friends with Johann Bernoulli, at the time the foremost mathematician in Europe. His wide ranging mind applied mathematics to a variety of practical circumstances, from ship-building and engineering to refining longitude measurements.

(Fittingly, in 2002, an asteroid was named in his honor.)Ī prolific writer, his inventive thinking is captured among the many pages of his quarto volumes, of which he wrote at least sixty and perhaps many more. The leading mathematician of his day, Euler’s contributions range from mathematical notation to the orbit of comets. A pioneer in math and physics, Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) left a legacy unmatched by few others in his field.