Transcript The Bernoulli Legacy A Journey into the Life and Times of

Understanding the Bernoulli
Family Tree
• Three generations of
mathematical geniuses
• Three largest
contributors were:
– Jakob
– Johann (I)
– Daniel
• Family Tree
Jakob Bernoulli
(1654-1705)
• 1st studied to be a minister
• Went to Basel University
– received degree in theology
– fascinated with mathematics
• furthered the calculus he had
learned from Leibniz
• worked on cantenaries
– bridge structures and design
• Jakob was a professor at Basel
until his death
Jakob Bernoulli
(1654-1705)
1. Probability and Statistics
• Bernoulli distribution
• Bernoulli theorem
2. Differential Equations
• Bernoulli Equation
3. Number Theory
• Bernoulli numbers
• Bernoulli polynomial
4. Calculus
• Lemniscate of Bernoulli
Johann Bernoulli (I)
(1667-1748)
•
Followed older brother’s footsteps
– often aided Jakob
•
He studied at the University of
Basel
– medicine and mathematics
•
•
•
•
Yearning for mathematics
Became professor at University of
Basel after Jakob’s death
Became jealous of his brother
Johann’s areas of expertise
– differential calculus
– refraction of light
•
At death one of most successful
mathematicians in the world
Daniel Bernoulli
(1700-1782)
•
•
His father was Johann (I)
Was a quick learner
– began studying at age eleven
•
Studied at University of St.
Petersburg
– began in medicine
– loved mathematics and physics
•
Ended up at Basel University
– professed metaphysics, medicine
and natural philosophy
•
•
Daniel developed hydrodynamics
largely from the single principle
that later became known at the
Law of Conservation of Energy
FOUNDER OF MATHEMATICAL
PHYSICS
How the other Bernoullis fit in...
• Nicolaus (II)
– integral in beginnings of probability
• Nicolaus (III)
– fundamental in theory of Algebra
• Johann (II)
– became chair at Basel University
– studied heat and light
• Johann (III)
– became chair at Berlin Academy at age of 19
– studied probability and theory of equations
Bernoulli accolades
“Students of heredity have called attention to the
extraordinary number of distinguished scholars who
descended from the protestant populations expelled
from the catholic countries in the 16th and 17th
centuries” The Bernoulli family provides the “most
remarkable evidences of the power of heredity or of
early home influence in all the history of mathematics.
No less than nine of its members attained eminence in
mathematics and physics and four of them were
honored by election as foreign associates of the
Academie des Sciences of Paris”
David Smith quoted by Nickel pg147
Bernoulli
accolades
“The Bernoulli family… in three
generations produced 8
mathematicians, several of them
outstanding, who in turn produced a
swarm of descendants… No fewer
than 120 of the descendants of the
mathematical Bernoullis have been
traced genealogically, and of this
considerable posterity the majority
achieved distinction - sometimes
amounting to eminence - in law,
scholarship, science, literature, the
learned professions, administration,
and the arts. None were failures.”
Bell quoted by Nickel pg148