8 Female Mathematicians to Inspire You

Throughout history, women have been forbidden to engage in social, political and scientific activities. Nevertheless, some insisted on self-education despite the limiting traditions and beliefs.

The achievements of women mathematicians truly changed the world. They gave us cleaner hospitals, efficient statistical charts, and the basics of computer programming, not to mention the training for the first space flight. Their biographies never cease to amaze us, which is why these women inspire us to reach our goals no matter what!

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Sophie Germain (1776—1831)

Sophie Germain started learning math at the age of 13. Since the French Revolution was raging, the girl couldn’t explore the streets of Paris. Instead, she studied her father’s library, learned Latin and Greek, and also read fundamental mathematical works.

Of course, educational opportunities for women were extremely limited then. But Germain managed to study at the Ecole Polytechnique secretly. How? She used the name of a student registered regularly. However, this scheme stopped working when the teachers noticed how quickly the student’s skills improved.

Sophie corresponded with Fourier, d’Alembert, and Gauss, hiding under a male name. She deduced several formulas and explained one version of Fermat’s Last Theorem by using prime numbers to prove it: n, 2n + 1.

Ada Lovelace (1815—1852)

Ada was the daughter of the world-famous poet George Gordon Byron and Anabella Wentworth. Her mother was afraid of a girl becoming a poet like her father, and that’s why she fully supported her interest in mathematics and music. In her teenage years, Ada began corresponding with a professor of mathematics at Cambridge. At that time, Charles Babbage was working on a computing machine, the forerunner of the computer.

Ada Lovelace sent him multiple notes and pieces of advice. They were related to an algorithm for computing the sequence of numbers that formed the basis for the modern computer. In fact, it was the first algorithm designed for a machine. That is why Ada is referred to as the world’s first programmer.

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)

We all know Florence Nightingale as a nurse and social reformer, but in reality, her contribution to science saved many lives. Willing to improve patient survival rates in hospitals, Nightingale became a statistician.

That’s what she found when analyzing numbers related to the high death rate: lack of sanitation was the main cause of it. So, appropriate measures have been taken, and hospitals have become much safer. Indeed, this topic is super interesting to read about, but first, study essay writing service where you can order essays and find a reliable assistant for yourself. They are extremely experienced, so you will have nothing to worry about.

Dorothy Vaughan (1910—2008)

Have you seen ‘Hidden Figures’? Then you probably remember that the chances of the first space flight were explored by a group of gifted women who were called West Area Computers at NASA. Dorothy Vaughan was part of it.

Dorothy took a job at NASA in 1943 after years of working as a math teacher. In 1949, she became a leader of a special group related to the field of computing. This group consisted entirely of black women – eminent mathematicians called West Computers. Below, we study their biographies as well.

Katherine Johnson (1918-2020)

When Katherine Johnson decided to study mathematics, she faced a serious problem. The city where she lived didn’t allow black students to receive education after the 8th grade. Luckily, her father came to a solution – the family moved 120 miles away in order to let Katherine attend high school in a different place. Uniquely talented, the girl graduated from it at the age of 14. Thanks to her expertise in analytical geometry, Katherine was assigned to an all-male team at NASA.

That’s when she helped calculate the trajectory of Alan Shepard’s first space flight. We also highly recommend watching the aforementioned movie so that you can see the details yourself. Of course, you may lack time due to endless college deadlines, but here’s what you can do. Outsource your homework to a talented essay writer from top paper writing services to save yourself from stress and tension. And while authors are doing their best to complete your assignment, you can finally take advantage of the energy released.

Mary Jackson (1921—2005)

Mary Jackson is another representative of West Area Computers. Her path started with graduating from high school with honors and getting a degree in mathematics and physics at the Hampton Institute. Then she began working for NASA as a space engineer in the field of aerodynamics.

Jackson mostly worked with the organization’s flight engineers and received multiple promotions. After almost 30 years at NASA, Mary became chief engineer. After that, she centered her focus on advancing the careers of women and minorities.

Christine Darden (1942)

Christine Darden worked for NASA for 25 years. She is known as a mathematician, aeronautical engineer, and analyst. As for her research topics, they were mainly sonic booms and shock waves related to them.

Christine was one of the first women to get the title of space engineer at Langley, home to the CIA’s headquarters. As for her prominent achievements, Christine created a computer program that measures the strength of sonic booms. Darden became the leader of the Sonic Boom Group at NASA after completing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.

Maryam Mirzakhani (1977-2017)

Maryam was a highly respected mathematician coming from Iran. She became the first woman to receive the prestigious Fields Medal and Prize not so long ago, in 2014. She was also the first recipient born in Iran. Maryam studied symplectic geometry, also known as non-Euclidean geometry, which is used to explore the concepts of space and time. Her other research topics included Teichmüller theory and hyperbolic geometry. Later, Maryam worked at Stanford University.

To Wrap It Up

Stereotypes saying that the vocation of women is taking care of the house and children have existed for hundreds of years. Women’s achievements were ignored, their work was devalued, and they were literally prevented from getting an education. And despite this, they still contributed to the development of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and many other sciences.

Above, we have collected brilliant female mathematicians whose life paths were amazing. They moved forward and overcame obstacles so that future generations would have a better future. And for that, we are so endlessly grateful to them now!