Maria Gaetana Agnesi ( , , ; 16 May 1718 – 9 January 1799) was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
,
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
,
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
, and
humanitarian
Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...
. She was the first woman to write a mathematics handbook and the
first woman appointed as a mathematics professor at a university.
She is credited with writing the first book discussing both
differential and
integral calculus
In mathematics, an integral assigns numbers to Function (mathematics), functions in a way that describes Displacement (geometry), displacement, area, volume, and other concepts that arise by combining infinitesimal data. The process of finding ...
and was a member of the faculty at the
University of Bologna
The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continuo ...
, although she never served.
She devoted the last four decades of her life to studying
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
(especially
patristics
Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...
) and to
charitable work and serving the poor. She was a devout
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and wrote extensively on the marriage between intellectual pursuit and mystical contemplation, most notably in her essay ''Il cielo mistico'' (The Mystic Heaven). She saw the rational contemplation of God as a complement to prayer and contemplation of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Maria Teresa Agnesi Pinottini,
clavicembalist and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
, was her sister.
Early life
Maria Gaetana Agnesi was born in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, to a wealthy and literate family.
Her father Pietro Agnesi, a wealthy silk merchant,
[Findlen, Paula, ''Calculations of faith: mathematics, philosophy, and sanctity in 18th-century Italy (new work on Maria Gaetana Agnesi)'' ''Historia Mathematica'' 38 (2011), 248-291. ] wanted to elevate his family into the Milanese nobility. In order to achieve his goal, he had married
Anna Fortunato Brivio of the
Brivius de Brokles family in 1717. Her mother's death provided her the excuse to retire from public life. She took over management of the household. She was one of 21 children. Her family was recognized as one of the wealthiest in Milan.
Maria was recognized early on as a
child prodigy
A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...
; she could speak both
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and
French at five years of age. By her eleventh birthday, she had also learned
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
,
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, and
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, and was referred to as the "Seven-Tongued Orator".
Agnesi suffered a mysterious illness at the age of twelve that was attributed to her excessive studying and reading, so she was prescribed vigorous dancing and horseback riding. This treatment did not work; she began to experience extreme convulsions, after which she was encouraged to pursue moderation. By age fourteen, she was studying
ballistics
Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets or the like; the science or art of designing and a ...
and
geometry
Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...
.
When she was fifteen, her father began to regularly gather in his house a circle of the most learned men in
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
, before whom she read and maintained a series of theses on the most abstruse philosophical questions. Records of these meetings are given in
Charles de Brosses
Charles de Brosses (), comte de Tournay, baron de Montfalcon, seigneur de Vezins et de Prevessin (7 February 1709 – 7 May 1777), was a French writer of the 18th century.
Life
He was president of the parliament of his hometown Dijon from 1741, a ...
' ''Lettres sur l'Italie'' and in the ''Propositiones Philosophicae'', which her father had published in 1738 as an account of her final performance, where she defended 190 philosophical theses.
[
Her father remarried twice after Maria's mother died, and Maria Agnesi ended up the eldest of 21 children, including her half-siblings. Her father agreed with her that if she were to continue her research into mathematics, then she would be permitted to do all the charity work she wanted. In addition to her performances and lessons, her responsibility was to teach her siblings. This task kept her from her own goal of entering a convent, as she had become strongly religious. Although her father refused to grant this wish, he agreed to let her live from that time on in an almost conventual semi-retirement, avoiding all interactions with society and devoting herself entirely to the study of mathematics.][ After having read in 1739 the ''Traité analytique des sections coniques'' of the Marquis ]Guillaume de l'Hôpital
Guillaume François Antoine, Marquis de l'Hôpital (; sometimes spelled L'Hospital; 1661 – 2 February 1704), also known as Guillaume-François-Antoine Marquis de l'Hôpital, Marquis de Sainte-Mesme, Comte d'Entremont, and Seigneur d'Ouques-la ...
, she was fully introduced into the field in 1740 by Ramiro Rampinelli
Ramiro Rampinelli, born Lodovico Rampinelli (1697 – 1759), was an Italian mathematician and physicist. He was a monk in the Olivetans, Olivetan Order. He had a decisive influence on the spread of mathematical analysis, algebra and mathematical p ...
, an Olivetan
The Olivetans, formally known as the Order of Our Lady of Mount Olivet, are a monastic order. They were founded in 1313 and recognised in 1344. They use the Rule of Saint Benedict and are a member of the Benedictine Confederation, where they ar ...
monk who was one of the most notable Italian mathematicians of that time.[ During that time, Maria studied with him both differential and ]integral
In mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented i ...
calculus.
Contributions to mathematics
''Instituzioni analitiche''
According to Britannica, she is "considered to be the first woman in the Western world to have achieved a reputation in mathematics". The most valuable result of her labours was the ''Instituzioni analitiche ad uso della gioventù italiana'', (Analytical Institutions for the Use of Italian Youth) which was published in Milan in 1748 and "was regarded as the best introduction extant to the works of Euler
Leonhard Euler ( , ; 15 April 170718 September 1783) was a Swiss mathematician, physicist, astronomer, geographer, logician and engineer who founded the studies of graph theory and topology and made pioneering and influential discoveries in ma ...
". The goal of this work was, according to Agnesi herself, to give a systematic illustration of the different results and theorems of infinitesimal calculus
Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...
.[ The model for her treatise was ''Le calcul différentiel et intégral dans l’Analyse'' by Charles René Reyneau.][ In this treatise, she worked on integrating ]mathematical analysis
Analysis is the branch of mathematics dealing with continuous functions, limit (mathematics), limits, and related theories, such as Derivative, differentiation, Integral, integration, measure (mathematics), measure, infinite sequences, series (m ...
with algebra
Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics.
Elementary a ...
.[ The first volume treats the analysis of finite quantities and the second of the analysis of ]infinitesimal
In mathematics, an infinitesimal number is a quantity that is closer to zero than any standard real number, but that is not zero. The word ''infinitesimal'' comes from a 17th-century Modern Latin coinage ''infinitesimus'', which originally referr ...
s.
A French translation of the second volume by P. T. d'Antelmy, with additions by Charles Bossut
Charles Bossut (11 August 1730 – 14 January 1814) was a French mathematician and ''confrère'' of the Encyclopaedists. He was born at Tartaras, Loire, and died in Paris.
Works
* ''Traité élémentaire d'hydrodynamique'' (1771) later rew ...
(1730–1814), was published in Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1775; and ''Analytical Institutions'', an English translation of the whole work by John Colson
John Colson (1680 – 20 January 1760) was an English clergyman, mathematician, and the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University.
Life
John Colson was educated at Lichfield School before becoming an undergraduate at Christ Chu ...
(1680–1760), the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics
The Lucasian Chair of Mathematics () is a mathematics professorship in the University of Cambridge, England; its holder is known as the Lucasian Professor. The post was founded in 1663 by Henry Lucas, who was Cambridge University's Member of Pa ...
at Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, "inspected" by John Hellins
:''This subject should not be confused with his grandson John Hellins, 1829–1887, clergyman and entomologist''.
John Hellins FRS ( 1749 – 5 April 1827) was a British autodidact, schoolteacher, mathematician, astronomer and country parson ...
, was published in 1801 at the expense of Baron Maseres. The work was dedicated to Empress Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
, who thanked Agnesi with the gift of a diamond ring, a personal letter, and a diamond and crystal case. Many others praised her work, including Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV ( la, Benedictus XIV; it, Benedetto XIV; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758.Antipope ...
, who wrote her a complimentary letter and sent her a gold wreath and a gold medal.[
In writing this work, Agnesi was advised and helped by two distinguished mathematicians: her former teacher Ramiro Rampinelli and ]Jacopo Riccati
Jacopo Francesco Riccati (28 May 1676 – 15 April 1754) was a Venetian mathematician and jurist from Venice. He is best known for having studied the equation which bears his name.
Education
Riccati was educated first at the Jesuit school for th ...
.
Witch of Agnesi
The ''Instituzioni analitiche...'', among other things, discussed a curve earlier studied and constructed by Pierre de Fermat
Pierre de Fermat (; between 31 October and 6 December 1607 – 12 January 1665) was a French mathematician who is given credit for early developments that led to infinitesimal calculus, including his technique of adequality. In particular, he ...
and Guido Grandi
image:Guidograndi.jpg, Guido Grandi
Dom (title), Dom Guido Grandi, Camaldolese, O.S.B. Cam. (1 October 1671 – 4 July 1742) was an Italian monk, priest, philosopher, theologian, mathematician, and engineer.
Life
Grandi was born on 1 October ...
. Grandi called the curve ''versoria'' in Latin and suggested the term ''versiera'' for Italian,[ Per Grandi: "...nata da' seni versi, che da me suole chiamarsi la ''Versiera'' in latino pero ''Versoria''..."] possibly as a pun: ' versoria' is a nautical term, " sheet", while ''versiera/aversiera'' is "she-devil", "witch", from Latin ''Adversarius'', an alias for "devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
" (Adversary of God). For whatever reasons, after translations and publications of the ''Instituzioni analitiche...'' the curve has become known as the "Witch of Agnesi".
Other
Agnesi also wrote a commentary on the ''Traité analytique des sections coniques du marquis de l'Hôpital'' which, though highly praised by those who saw it in manuscript, was never published.
Later life
In 1750, on the illness of her father, she was appointed by Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV ( la, Benedictus XIV; it, Benedetto XIV; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758.Antipope ...
to the chair of mathematics and natural philosophy
Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior throu ...
and physics at Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
, though she never served.[ She was the second woman ever to be granted professorship at a university, ]Laura Bassi
Laura Maria Caterina Bassi Veratti (29 October 1711 – 20 February 1778) was an Italian physicist and academic. Recognized and depicted as "Minerva" (goddess of wisdom), she was the first woman to have a doctorate in science, and the second wo ...
being the first.
In 1751, she became ill again and was told not to study by her doctors. After the death of her father in 1752 she carried out a long-cherished purpose by giving herself to the study of theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
, and especially of the Fathers
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fath ...
and devoted herself to the poor, homeless, and sick, giving away the gifts she had received and begging for money to continue her work with the poor. In 1783, she founded and became the director of the Opera Pia Trivulzio, a home for Milan's elderly, where she lived as the nuns of the institution did.[ On 9 January 1799, Maria Agnesi died poor and was buried in a mass grave for the poor with fifteen other bodies.
]
Recognition
In 1996, an asteroid, 16765 Agnesi, was named after Agnesi. There is also a crater on Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...
named Agnesi after her, as well as a mathematical curve named the Witch of Agnesi
In mathematics, the witch of Agnesi () is a cubic plane curve defined from two diametrically opposite points of a circle. It gets its name from Italian mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi, and from a mistranslation of an Italian word for a sail ...
. She is included in a deck of playing cards featuring notable women mathematicians published by the Association of Women in Mathematics.
See also
* Elena Cornaro Piscopia
Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (, ; 5 June 1646 – 26 July 1684) or Elena Lucrezia Corner (), also known in English as Helen Cornaro, was a Venetian philosopher of noble descent who in 1678 became one of the first women to receive an academic ...
* Cristina Roccati
Cristina Roccati (24 October 1732 in Rovigo – 16 March 1797 in Rovigo) was an Italian physicist and poet who earned a degree at the University of Bologna (1751). This was the third academic qualification ever bestowed on a woman by an Italian un ...
References
;Attribution
*
*
Further reading
*
"Maria Gaetana Agnesi", Biographies of Women Mathematicians
Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College is a private women's liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and is considered one of the ...
*
EUROPEAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY, NEWSLETTER No. 31, March 1999, S. 18
* D. J. Struik, editor, ''A source book in mathematics, 1200–1800'' (Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1986), pp. 178–180. , (pbk).
CSULA Instructional Web Server
*
* Mazzotti, Massimo (2007). ''The World of Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Mathematician of God''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
* Oglivie, Marilyn, Harvey, Joy (2000). ''The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science''. New York: Routledge.
*
External links
Google doodle commemorating Maria Agnesi's 296th birthday
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnesi, Maria Gaetana
1718 births
1799 deaths
18th-century Italian mathematicians
18th-century Italian philosophers
18th-century Italian women scientists
18th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians
Linguists from Italy
Scientists from Milan
Catholic philosophers
University of Bologna faculty
Women founders
Women linguists
Women mathematicians
Italian women philosophers