In the mind of a genius
In addition to some of his mathematical works, we have received several documents that inform us about the thinking of young Galois: fragments of texts found in his notes, protest articles that denounce the functioning of the school institution, notebooks that present his first research… This is also the case with his school work: some have only been studied recently, and others remain unpublished!
All articles in this folder
The entrance examination for the École préparatoire…
As a young student, Galois is known to have failed the École polytechnique entrance examination twice. Yet this was not the only entrance examination he sat: he was even admitted to the École préparatoire. Let's see how he tackled the first problem on the mathematics paper.
Galois's handwritten papers at Louis-le-Grand | Tangente
Although Galois's "complete" works were published in 1962, they can be "completed"—a kind of paradox of completeness—with his papers from the 1829 entrance examination for the École préparatoire. They are held in the Archives nationales. Let us open them! Some of them have never been published.
Some bold early attempts
Évariste Galois is known for his tragic fate, his trailblazing mathematical genius and his profound research in algebra. But before all that, he too was a high-school and university student. Some of Galois’s schoolwork has survived.
Galois's scientific writings: a guide | Tangente
Galois submitted his famous memoir to the Académie des sciences several times. At the same time, he published five articles in scientific journals.
Galois and mathematics education | Tangente
Galois was highly critical of the teaching methods of his day, the school system and the role of examiners in competitive entrance examinations.