Carl Friedrich Gauss

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theory, especially
on prime numbers. He made this his life's passion and is regarded as its modern
founder.
Gauss studied at the University of Gottingen from 1795 to 1798. He soon
decided to write a book on the theory of numbers. It appeared in 1801 under the
title 'Disquisitiones arithmeticae'. This classic work usually is held to be
Gauss's greatest accomplishment. Gauss discovered on March 30, 1796, that circle,
using only compasses and straightedge the first such discovery in Euclidean
construction in more than 2,000 years.
His interest turned to astronomy in April 1799, and that field occupied
his attention for the remainder of his life. Gauss set up a speedy method for
the complete determination of the elements of a planet's orbit from just three
observations. He elaborated it in his second major work, a classic in astronomy,
published in 1809. In 1807 he was appointed director of the University of
Gottingen observatory and professor of mathematics, a position he held for ...

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