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From Fermat's Last Theorem to cryptography, Sophie Germain primes have played a part in many scientific adventures over the past two centuries. These prime numbers have earned their place in the pantheon of arithmetic, yet we still do not know whether infinitely many exist.
The use of a male pseudonym became common from the Revolution onward. It was the strategy adopted by Sophie Germain, whose 250th anniversary we celebrate this year. Her correspondence with Gauss, in which she eventually revealed her identity, shows that this only heightened the admiration she inspired.
A woman at the IHP!
Do you know what Sophie Germain thought of Évariste Galois? What became of his loyal friend Auguste Chevalier? And who was Galois's opponent in his duel?
