Maria Gaetana Agnesi, 1718-1799

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An Italian mathematician, philosopher, and humanitarian. The first woman to publish a mathematics book and the first in the Western world to receive a reputation in mathematics.

Maria Gaetana Agnesi was born in Milan, Italy, to a wealthy family. Recognized as a child prodigy, she spoke Italian and French by age five and Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, and German by eleven.

From an early age, she showed interest in mathematics and philosophy, and with her father’s encouragement, Agnesi learned with the best available tutors.

At 15, her father started hosting regular gatherings of the most educated men in Bologna, and Agnesi presented and defended a series of theses on profoundly complex philosophical questions. A compilation of 191 essays based on her discussions was published in 1738.

By then, 20 years old Agnesi, who became strongly religious, intended to join a convent, but her father refused since she was the oldest child and he wanted her to teach her siblings. Instead, he agreed that she could live in a semi-retirement form, with no social interactions, so that she could devote her time to learning mathematics.

Her father hired the monk and professor of mathematics, Ramiro Rampinelli, to tutor her; Rampinelli introduced her to the new fields of differential and integral calculus. Around that time, Agnesi wrote a commentary on the work of the Marquis de l’Hôpital, Traité antique des sections coniques, but it was never published.

In 1748, at 30, Agnesi published a two-volume book titled The Instituzioni Analitiche ad uso della gioventù italiana (Analytical Institutions for the Use of Italian Youth). In this work, she discussed integral and differential calculus and defined the cubic curve, today known as the ‘witch of Agnesi.’ Her work got recognized as the finest existing introduction to the works of the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler, translated into French and English, and received praise even from Pope Benedict XIV, who appointed her professor of mathematics at the University of Bologna. Even though she never served in the position, she is considered the second woman ever to be granted a professorship at a university,
Following her father’s death in 1752, Agnesi became free to devote her time to charitable work and theological studies. She worked with sick and poor people and founded several hospices. In 1783, at 65, she established a home for Milan’s elderly and moved to live there.

She died at 81 and was buried in a mass grave for the poor.

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Fun Facts

  • Her father was married three times, and she was the eldest of 21 children.
  • She dedicated her work Instituzioni Analytics to Empress Maria Theresa, who, in return, wrote her a personal letter and gifted her a diamond ring and a diamond crystal case. Pope Benedict XIV, who also admired her work, granted her a gold medal and wreath. Later, she sold all these gifts and used the money to help the less fortunate.
  • The mathematical curve 'Witch of Agnesi' received its name because of a translation error. In the English translation of her work, the phrase 'la versiera' was mistakenly rendered as 'l'aversiera,' which translates to 'the witch.'
  • The asteroid 16765 Agnesi and a crater on Venus are named in her honor.
  • A marble bust of her is located beneath the arcades of the courtyard of the Palace of Brera in Milan.

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Category: Academy & Education and Science & Technology
Tags: Mathematician and Philosopher

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