By Natalia Kokoromyti
The Italian mathematician Maria Agnesi is the author of Instituzioni Analitiche (Methods of Analysis), the first general textbook covering both differential and integral calculus. This textbook is the first surviving mathematical work written by a woman. The Dutch mathematician Dirk Jan Struik referred to Agnesi as "the first groundbreaking female mathematician since Hypatia (5th century AD)". Agnesi was a child prodigy and spoke at least seven languages before even turning 13. For most of her life, she avoided socializing and devoted herself entirely to the study of mathematics and religion. Clifford Truesdell writes, "She did ask her father's permission to become a nun. However, he was so terrified of losing his beloved child that begged her to change her mind." Agnesi agreed to continue living with her father on the condition that she would be in relative isolation. Her publication caused a stir in the academic world. The Paris Academy of Sciences's committee wrote, "It must have taken a great deal of talent and perseverance to express in almost uniform ways discoveries that were scattered throughout the works of modern mathematics and often presented in very different ways. All parts of this work are ruled by order, clarity and precision. We consider it the most complete and concise treatise." The book also includes an analysis of the cubic curve known as the “Agnesi Witch” that is expressed by the equation y=8a^3/(x^2+4a^2) and is a cubic plane curve defined from two diametrically opposite points of a circle. The president of the Bologna Academy invited Agnesi to become the Chair of Mathematics at the University of Bologna. According to some testimonies though, she never accepted the position, because she was already devoted to religion and charity work. Nevertheless, she is the second woman in history to be appointed as a professor at a university with the first one being Laura Bassi (1711-1778).
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May 2022
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