Sofia Kovalevskaya
Born	15 January 1850 Moscow, Russia
Died	10 February 1891 Stockholm, Sweden

Sofia Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya (Russian Софья Васильевна Ковалевская), also known as Sonya Kovalevsky (January 15, 1850-February 10, 1891), was the first major Russian female mathematician, and also the first woman who was appointed to a full professorship in Europe 1889 (Sweden). Image File history File links Kovalevskaïa. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) Year 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Position of Moscow in Europe Coordinates: , Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Government  - Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Area  - City 1,081 km²  (417. ... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Location of Stockholm in northern Europe Coordinates: Country Sweden Municipality Stockholm Municipality County Stockholm Province Södermanland and Uppland Charter 13th Century Population (April 2007)  - City 782,885  - Density 4,160/km² (10,774. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) Year 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Leonhard Euler, one of the greatest mathematicians of all time A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study and research is the field of mathematics. ... The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

Life and career

In order to be able to study abroad from Russia, Kovalevskaya entered a marriage of convenience with Vladimir Kovalensky, a young paleontology student, with whom she left Russia, in company also with Sofia's sister Anyuta.

Kovalevskaya was admitted mathematical studies at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, but after fullfilling two years of studies, she had to take private lessions for Karl Weierstrass in order to advance her studies any more, since the University of Berlin didn't admit women. With the support of Weierstrass, she achieved a doctorate cumma sum laude from the University of Göttingen in 1874, which meant that her achievements were so impressive, that the University didn't require her to attend any lectures or examinations. The Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (German Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; also known as simply University of Heidelberg) is one of the most prestigious universities of Germany. ... Karl Theodor Wilhelm Weierstrass (Weierstraß) (October 31, 1815 – February 19, 1897) was a German mathematician who is often cited as the father of modern analysis. // Karl Weierstrass was born in Ostenfelde, Westphalia (today Germany). ... The Georg-August University of Göttingen (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, often called the Georgia Augusta) was founded in 1734 by George II, King of Great Britain and Elector of Hanover, and opened in 1737. ...

In the later 1880:ies she worked as a private docent at the Stockholm University, Sweden. Stockholm University (Stockholms universitet) is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. ...

In 1888 she won the French Prix Bordin for her works on the Kovelevskaya top, which included analysis of the dynamics of Saturns rings. Adjectives: Saturnian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 140 kPa Composition: >93% hydrogen >5% helium 0. ... The full set of rings, as photographed by the Cassini spacecraft on September 15, 2006 (brightness has been exaggerated in this image). ...

In 1889 she won a prize from the Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the same year was appointer professor in Stockholm University, while she also achieved a chair in the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or , founded in 1739 by King Frederick I, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. ... Russian Academy of Sciences: main building Russian Academy of Sciences (Росси́йская Акаде́мия Нау́к) is the national academy of Russia. ...

Selected works

• Acta Mathematica (1885)

• Mémoire sur un cas particulier du problème de la rotation d'un corps pesant autour d'un point fixe, ou l'intégration s'effectue à l'aide des fonctions ultraelliptiques du temps (1886)

• The short article Sur un théorème de M. Bruns (1891)

In Film

Sofia Kovalevskaya hs been the subject of two Russian film biographies.

Sofya Kovalevskaya (1956) Directed by Iosef Shapiro, starring Yelena Yunger, Lev Kosolov and Tatyana Sezenyevskaya

Sofya Kovalevskaya (1985 TV) Directed by Ayan Shakhmaliyeva, starring Yelena Safonova, Vladimir Letenkov, and Natalya Sayov.

Tributes

Sonia Kovalevsky High School Mathematics Day is a program named after Kovalevsky and is a grant-making intitiative of the Association for Women in Mathematics(AWM), funding workshops around the country which encourage girls to explore mathematics. Association for Women in Mathematics The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting equal treatment and equal opportunity for women and girls in the mathematical sciences, and to encouraging women and girls to enter the field. ...

The Sonia Kovalevsky Lecture is sponsored annually by the AWM, and is intended to highlight significant contributions of women to applied or computational mathematics. Past honorees have included Irene Fonesca (2006), Ingrid Daubechies (2005), Joyce R. McLaughlin (2004) and Linda R. Petzold (2003). Ingrid Daubechies (born August 17, 1954) is a Belgian physicist and mathematician. ...

The Kovalesakya crater on the Moon is named in her honour. Kovalevskaya is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located on the Moons far side relative to the Earth. ...

See also

• Cauchy-Kovalevskaya theorem
• Kovalevskaya (crater)

In mathematics, the Cauchy-Kovalevskaya theorem is the main existence and uniqueness theorem for analytic partial differential equations. ... Kovalevskaya is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located on the Moons far side relative to the Earth. ...

References

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

An overview of Sofia Kovalevskaya's life and career.

• Roger Cooke: The Mathematics of Sonya Kovalevskaya (Springer-Verlag, 1984)
• Sofya Kovalevskaya: A Russian Childhood (Springer-Verlag, 1978; translated and introduced by Beatrice Stillman)
• Ann Hibner Koblitz: A Convergence of Lives: Sofia Kovalevskaia -- Scientist, Writer, Revolutionary (Rutgers University Press, 1983)

Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Sofia Kovalevskaya

• Sofia Kovalevskaya at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
• O'Connor, John J; Edmund F. Robertson "Sofia Kovalevskaya". MacTutor History of Mathematics archive.  
• Women's History - Sofia Kovalevskaya
• Brief biography of Sofia Kovalevskaya by Yuriy Belits. University of Colorado at Denver, March 17, 2005.
• Biography (in Russian)
• Association for Women in Mathematics