Personal life of leonhard euler

By Lillie Therieau

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Leonhard Euler was a hardworking man, publishing hundreds of papers and articles throughout his career. The 18th-century Swiss mathematician shaped several disciplines of mathematics and physics, making critical contributions that paved the way for his predecessors. 

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When he went totally blind in middle age, Leonhard’s productivity only increased. He liked to quip that eyesight had been his last remaining distraction from his work! Learn more about Leonhard’s life as a mathematician and his struggles to navigate the political upheaval of 18th-century Russia. 

Leonhard Euler’s Driven Life

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Leonhard Euler was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1707. His father was a pastor and his mother was a pastor’s daughter, both of the Protestant reformed church. Soon after his birth, the Euler family moved to the town of Riehen, where Leonhard’s father became a pastor at the local church. Leonhard spent most of his childhood in Riehen, spending lots of time with the Bernoulli family, who were friends of his father. As a young child, he took classes from Jacob Bernoulli, who was regarded as one of the most famous European mathematicians at the time. 

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However, when it came time for Leonhard to begin his formal education, he moved back to Basel to live with his maternal grandmother. When he was 13 years old, he enrolled at the University of Basel. While taking his university classes, he was also receiving private tutoring on the weekends with Johann Bernoulli. Johann discovered Leonhard’s innate talent for mathematics and helped to convince his father to allow him to study mathematics, instead of theology. 

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At the age of 19, Leonhard completed his dissertation on the mathematical properties of sound. He unsuccessfully tried to get a position at the University of Basel, like many of his friends in the Bernoulli family. However, he was offered a position at the Imperial Russian Academy of Sciences by Daniel Bernoulli, after his brother N

Leonhard Euler, born on April 15, 1707, in Basel, Switzerland, was one of the most influential mathematicians and physicists in history. He was the first of six children born to Paul Euler, a pastor, and Marguerite Brucker, the daughter of a pastor. Euler's early education was conducted at home by his father, who had studied theology and had some training in mathematics from Jacob Bernoulli, a renowned mathematician.

Euler entered the University of Basel at the age of 13. He earned his Master’s degree in Philosophy in 1723 with a dissertation comparing the philosophies of Descartes and Newton. Under the mentorship of Johann Bernoulli, Euler was encouraged to pursue his passion for mathematics despite his father's initial wish for him to become a pastor. Bernoulli recognized Euler’s exceptional talent and provided him with advanced mathematical problems to solve, fostering his mathematical abilities.

In 1727, Euler moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, joining the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences at the invitation of Daniel Bernoulli, Johann's son. Initially, Euler was appointed to the physiology department, but he soon transferred to the mathematics department. He quickly established himself as a leading mathematician with his work on differential calculus and the theory of numbers.

Euler married Katharina Gsell in 1734. They had 13 children, though only five survived to adulthood. Euler’s family life was marked by both joy and tragedy, and he continued his work even amidst personal challenges. In 1738, Euler lost the sight in his right eye due to a fever, a condition that worsened over time.

In 1741, Euler accepted an invitation from Frederick the Great to join the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He spent 25 years in Berlin, where he published over 380 works and contributed to the development of several scientific disciplines. In 1766, Euler returned to St. Petersburg at the invitation

Swiss mathematician (1707–1783)

"Euler" redirects here. For other uses, see Euler (disambiguation).

Leonhard Euler (OY-lər;German:[ˈleːɔnhaʁtˈʔɔʏlɐ], Swiss Standard German:[ˈleɔnhardˈɔʏlər]; 15 April 1707 – 18 September 1783) was a Swisspolymath who was active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, logician, geographer, and engineer. He founded the studies of graph theory and topology and made influential discoveries in many other branches of mathematics, such as analytic number theory, complex analysis, and infinitesimal calculus. He also introduced much of modern mathematical terminology and notation, including the notion of a mathematical function. He is known for his work in mechanics, fluid dynamics, optics, astronomy, and music theory. Euler has been called a "universal genius" who "was fully equipped with almost unlimited powers of imagination, intellectual gifts and extraordinary memory". He spent most of his adult life in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and in Berlin, then the capital of Prussia.

Euler is credited for popularizing the Greek letter (lowercase pi) to denote the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, as well as first using the notation for the value of a function, the letter to express the imaginary unit, the Greek letter (capital sigma) to express summations, the Greek letter (capital delta) for finite differences, and lowercase letters to represent the sides of a triangle while representing the angles as capital letters. He gave the current definition of the constant , the base of the natural logarithm, now known as Euler's number. Euler made contributions to applied mathematics and engineering, such as his study of ships which helped navigation, his three volumes on optics contributed to the design of microscopes and telescopes, and he studied the bending of beams and the critical load of columns.^[1

Modern mathematics incorporates the insights and ideas of many brilliant mathematical scholars of different epochs. Some of these mathematicians expanded the subject by introducing radically new theories and unexplored horizons. Leonhard Euler is of one the famous and accomplished members of this elite group of mathematicians. Euler earned his reputation in history as an ingenious mathematician by exploring new dimensions in mathematics. One of his best known discoveries is his identity,

Euler was a very gifted mathematician, not only in terms of what he accomplished, but also with regard to his methods. I believe Euler was an abstract thinker, and by this I mean two things; first, that he could clearly visualize challenging mathematical concepts in his mind with few if any concrete figures or drawings to guide him, and second, that he was able to apply transcendental ideas to known mathematical subjects. His talent was seen early in his life when he was only eighteen, in his paper on the masting of ships, and more fully later in his career in 1743 when he developed the formula cited above.

On April 15, 1707 Basel, Switzerland gave birth to one of its greatest intellects, Leonhard Euler. (Bell, p. 143) Euler's father, Paul Euler, was a successful mathematician *who studied under Jakob Bernoulli (1654-1705). (Bell, p. 143) Paul Euler was Euler's first mathematics teacher, and he was also a Calvinist minister. Calvinism was an outgrowth of the Reformation initiated by Martin Luther in 1517 and became influential in Switzerland around 1546 when Protestants started ". insisting that the people - not just kings and bishops - should share in political and religious policymaking." (World Book Encyclopedia, p. 71)

Leonhard Euler attended the University of Basel,