Nicolaus II Bernoulli facts for kids
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Nicolaus II Bernoulli (born February 6, 1695, in Basel, Switzerland; died July 31, 1726, in Saint Petersburg, Russia) was a brilliant Swiss mathematician. He came from the famous Bernoulli family, which had many important mathematicians. His father, Johann Bernoulli, and his brother, Daniel Bernoulli, were also well-known mathematicians.
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A Brilliant Mathematician
Nicolaus Bernoulli was a very smart person. He was a friend of Leonhard Euler, another famous mathematician. Euler even learned from Nicolaus' father.
What Nicolaus Bernoulli Studied
Nicolaus worked on many different math topics. He studied curves, which are like lines that bend. He also worked on differential equations. These are special math problems that help us understand how things change.
He also studied probability. This is the math of chance. It helps us figure out how likely something is to happen. Nicolaus also helped with fluid dynamics. This is the study of how liquids and gases move.
Early Life and Education
Nicolaus was the older brother of Daniel Bernoulli. He taught Daniel mathematics. From a young age, Nicolaus learned several languages. This helped him read and understand many different ideas.
When he was 13, he started studying math and law. He went to the University of Basel. In 1711, he earned his Master's degree in Philosophy. Then, in 1715, he got his Doctorate in Law.
A Career in Europe
From 1716 to 1717, Nicolaus worked as a private tutor in Venice, Italy. In 1719, he became a professor of mathematics. He taught at the University of Padua in Italy. He took over this job from another famous scholar, Giovanni Poleni.
Nicolaus also helped his father with important math arguments. For example, they discussed who first discovered certain ideas. This included arguments between Isaac Newton and Leibniz.
In 1720, Nicolaus created a challenging math problem. It was about "reciprocal orthogonal trajectories." This problem was meant to test the English mathematicians who followed Newton.
Moving to Russia
In 1723, Nicolaus became a law professor. He taught at the Berner Oberen Schule. Then, in 1725, something exciting happened. He and his brother Daniel were invited to Russia. Peter the Great, the Russian emperor, invited them. They were asked to join the new St. Petersburg Academy.
Nicolaus and Daniel were traveling in Italy and France at this time. They accepted the invitation. They moved to the new academy in Russia.
An Early End
Sadly, Nicolaus' time in Russia was short. Just eight months after starting his new job, he became sick. He caught a fever and died on July 31, 1726. He was only 31 years old.
His early death meant a promising career was cut short. In 1727, Leonhard Euler took over Nicolaus' professorship. The Bernoulli brothers had recommended Euler for the position.
See also
- Bernoulli distribution
- Bernoulli process
- Bernoulli trial
- St. Petersburg paradox
