3 SOPHIE GERMAIN - Teacher Created Materials

3
3 Mathematics Monitor Comprehension / Infer Meaning
The Granger Collection, NY
Sophie Germain
The Mysterious Mathematician
Joseph-Louis Lagrange had a mystery to solve. In
1794 he was one of the best mathematicians of his
time. He was also a professor at the Paris Polytechnic
Institute. The mystery was one of his students, a young
man named LeBlanc. Professor Lagrange had never met
the young man and knew him only from the papers he
had been handing in. LeBlanc had always been a terrible
math student. Now almost overnight, his work had
become the best the professor had ever seen. What was
going on?
Lagrange sent a note to the student. He was eager to
talk to the young man. It came as quite a shock to the
professor when the student arrived and it wasn’t a man
at all. The brilliant student was a young woman named
Sophie Germain.
When Germain was a girl, her family tried to stop her from studying mathematics. It
was not considered a proper thing for young women to do. She had to hide her interests
from her parents and worked at night in her room when they wouldn’t see her.
Germain had wanted to study at the institute, but women were not allowed to attend.
When she had found out that LeBlanc had left school, she arranged to get the notes and
assignments that were prepared for him. She did each assignment and handed in the
papers. It was her work, not LeBlanc’s, that had so impressed the professor.
Professor Lagrange was delighted to help the young woman continue her studies.
He tutored Germain, and soon she was ready to tackle really difficult problems. One of
these was Fermat’s Last Theorem, a problem posed by the great mathematician Pierre
Fermat just before he died. Though Germain was still in her 20s, she thought she had
found a solution. Once again she posed as a man to get her work read.
Sophie Germain
Joseph-Louis Lagrange
Germain sent a letter to a famous German
mathematician named Dr. Carl Gauss. She outlined
her solution to Fermat’s problem and signed it LeBlanc.
Gauss was very impressed with the work and wrote
back. When Gauss finally found out LeBlanc was really
Sophie Germain, he was very happy to keep helping her.
Germain won a prize for her work on Fermat’s Last
Theorem. She became a well-known mathematician
under her own name. History does not tell us what
happened to LeBlanc, but whatever he wound up doing,
at least his name was put to good use.
The Granger Collection, NY
Shutterstock
■
10776 (i2001) Exploring Nonfiction • Second Edition—Level 6 © TIME For Kids

3
Comprehension
Connection
Before Reading
1. What is one goal you hope to reach
in your life?
2. Tell about a time when you solved a
very difficult problem. How did you
feel about it?
3. For what reason might someone
wish to hide his or her identity?
During Reading
1. Why did Sophie Germain’s family
try to keep her from studying
mathematics?
2. Why did Germain use the identity of
LeBlanc?
3. For what work did Germain win a
prize?
Skill Focus
Finding the Book that Suits You
How many people read about mathematics for fun? Unless
you’re a mathematician at heart, you might think few people would
be interested; but you might be surprised. In fact, you may find that
you like to read about math for fun when you come across stories
like the one about Sophie Germain.
Biographies (stories about the lives of people) are great for many
reasons: you learn about very interesting people, get ideas that inspire
you, get some “food for thought” about important issues, and learn
about life in a different time. When you are looking for something
educational to read for fun, a biography may be just the thing. If you
like mathematics as a subject, then maybe the biography of a great
mathematician such as Sophie Germain would really inspire you. If
you dream of going into space as an astronaut, you may want to read
about Neil Armstrong or another space pioneer. If you want to be a
writer, read a biography about Mark Twain or Jane Austen. There are
biographies to suit every interest!
There are lots of other ways to pick biographies that will really
interest you. Maybe you read a book for class and found that you
really like the way that author writes. Look for other books by that
author. Ask a classmate, teacher, or librarian for some ideas, or look
at bibliographies and other resources in books and on websites. In a
world full of books, you will find some that really suit you.
Writing Extension
After Reading
1. Do you think Professor Lagrange or
Dr. Gauss would have paid attention
to Sophie Germain if she hadn’t
proved her abilities first? Explain.
2. Was it okay back then for Germain
to “borrow” LeBlanc’s identity?
Would it be okay now? Why?
3. There are still more men than
women studying mathematics and
science. Why do you think that is?
Should it be changed? If so, how?
What would you like to be when you are an adult? Write
a one-page biographical sketch about someone in that field
or someone who has inspired you to think about that work.
Focus on one or two events that highlight what you think is
important about that person.
Vocabulary
1. brilliant
2. proper
3. posed
4. outlined
■
10776 (i2001) Exploring Nonfiction • Second Edition—Level 6 © Teacher Created Materials Publishing

3
3 Mathematics Monitor Comprehension / Infer Meaning
The Granger Collection, NY
Sophie Germain
The Mysterious Mathematician
Joseph-Louis Lagrange had a mystery to solve. In
1794 he was one of the best mathematicians of his
time. He was also a professor at the Paris Polytechnic
Institute. The mystery was one of his students. He was
a young man named LeBlanc. Professor Lagrange had
never met the young man. He knew him only from the
papers he had been handing in. LeBlanc had always been
a terrible math student. Now his work had become the
best the professor had ever seen. What was going on?
Lagrange sent a note to the student. He was eager
to talk to the young man. The professor was shocked
when the student arrived. It was not a man at all. The
brilliant student was a young woman named Sophie
Germain.
Joseph-Louis Lagrange
When Germain was a girl, her family tried to stop her from studying mathematics. It
was not a proper thing for young women to do. She had to hide her interests from her
parents. She worked at night in her room when they would not see her.
Germain had wanted to study at the institute. But women could not attend. She had
found out that LeBlanc had left school. So she got the notes and assignments that were
prepared for him. She did each assignment and turned them in. It was her work, not
LeBlanc’s, that had impressed the professor.
Professor Lagrange was delighted to help the young woman continue her studies. He
tutored Germain. Soon she was ready to do some difficult problems. One of these was
Fermat’s Last Theorem. This was a problem posed by the great mathematician Pierre
Fermat just before he died. Though Germain was still in her 20s, she thought she had
found a solution. Once again she posed as a man to get her work read.
Sophie Germain
Germain sent a letter to a famous German
mathematician. His name was Dr. Carl Gauss. She
outlined her solution to Fermat’s problem and signed it
LeBlanc. Gauss was impressed with the work and wrote
back. He later found out LeBlanc was really Sophie
Germain. But he was happy to keep helping her.
Germain won a prize for her work on Fermat’s Last
Theorem. She became a well-known mathematician
under her own name. No one knows what happened to
Mr. LeBlanc. Whatever he wound up doing, at least his
name was put to good use.
The Granger Collection, NY
Shutterstock
●
10776 (i2001) Exploring Nonfiction • Second Edition—Level 6 © TIME For Kids

3
Comprehension
Connection
Before Reading
1. What is one goal you have?
2. Tell about a time when you solved
a hard problem. How did you feel
about it?
3. Why would someone want to hide
his or her identity?
During Reading
1. Why did Sophie Germain’s family
try to keep her from studying math?
2. Why did Germain use LeBlanc’s
name?
3. What did Germain do to win a
prize?
Skill Focus
Finding the Book that Suits You
How many people read about math for fun? Unless you’re a
mathematician at heart, you might think the answer is no one. But
you might be surprised. In fact, you may find that you like to read
about math for fun when you see stories like the one about Sophie
Germain.
Biographies are stories about the lives of people. They are
great for a lot of reasons. You learn about very interesting people.
You can get ideas that make you think about big issues. You can
even learn about life in a different time. When you are looking for
something to read for fun and for learning, a biography may be just
the thing. Do you like math as a subject? Then maybe the biography
of a great mathematician such as Sophie Germain would really
inspire you. Do you dream of going into space as an astronaut?
Read about Neil Armstrong or another space pioneer. Do you want
to be a writer? Read a biography about Mark Twain or Jane Austen.
There are biographies to interest everyone!
There are other ways to pick biographies that you might like.
Maybe you read a book for class. Maybe you find that you really
like the way that author wrote. Look for other books by that author.
Ask a classmate, teacher, or librarian for some ideas. Look at
bibliographies and other resources in books and on websites. In a
world full of books, you will find some that really suit you.
Writing Extension
After Reading
1. Do you think Professor Lagrange
or Dr. Gauss would have noticed
Sophie Germain if she hadn’t proved
herself first? Explain.
2. Was it okay back then for Germain
to “borrow” LeBlanc’s identity?
Would it be okay now? Why?
3. There are still more men than
women studying math and science.
Why do you think that is? How
could this be changed?
What would you like to be when you are an adult? Think
about someone in that field. Or, think of someone who has
made you think about that work. Write about that person.
Focus on one or two events that show what you think is
important about that person.
Vocabulary
1. brilliant
2. proper
3. posed
4. outlined
●
10776 (i2001) Exploring Nonfiction • Second Edition—Level 6 © Teacher Created Materials Publishing