Who was Johann Bernoulli? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Jean Bernoulli

Died At Age: 80

Family:

siblings: Jacob Bernoulli

children: Daniel Bernoulli, Johann II Bernoulli, Nicolaus II Bernoulli

Mathematicians Swiss Men

Died on: January 1, 1748

place of death: Basel

City: Basel, Switzerland

More Facts

education: University of Basel

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Childhood & Early Life

He was born to Nicolaus Bernoulli and Margeretha Schonauer. Nicolaus wanted him to study business to continue on the family spice trade business. In 1683, he attended ‘Basel University’ to study medicine, contrary to his father’s wishes. However, he ended up not liking medicine.

He studied mathematics with his older brother Jacob outside of school. They focused their work on infinitesimal calculus and were the first to truly explore this topic.

Soon after the younger brother graduated from college, their relationship descended into jealousy. Both claimed to have discovered the word ‘integral’ in relationship to math, although historians tend to side with Jacob, the older brother.

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Career

He began teaching at University of Groningen in 1694 but was asked to return to his hometown of Basel by his father-in-law after nine years of teaching there.

In 1696, controversy struck when he agreed to tutor Guillaume de l’Hopital. l’Hopital published a textbook on calculus creating ‘l’Hopital’s Rule,’ stealing all of Bernoulli’s idea – but there was nothing he could do, as he had signed a contract saying l’Hopital could use his discoveries.

A year later, in 1697, he proved the ‘Sophomore’s dream’, an important mathematical theorem still used to this day.

He proposed the ‘Brachistorchone’ problem, in 1969, that was later solved by Newton, Leibniz, l’Hopital, and his brother Jacob. The object was to form a wire in a way that would let a ball traveled down it in the fastest manner possible.

In 1705, he learned that Jacob had passed away due to tuberculosis. He was able take his brother’s old position of mathematics professor at ‘Basel University’.

He participated in the Newton-Leibniz debate, in 1713, arguing that Leibniz deserved credit for the discovery of calculus because his method was more effective in solving certain problems.

Later, he argued against Newton’s theory of gravity and delayed the acceptance of Newton’s theory throughout Europe.

In 1726, he published a paper based on a competition sponsored by the ‘French Academy of Science’ two years earlier. Although he had not won the competition, his paper on motion was considered valid.

In 1738, he found a rival in his own son, Daniel, as the two of them attempted to publish a paper of hydrodynamics in the same year. The father dated his paper two years prior to the actual publication date to combat the competition.

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Awards & Achievements

He was awarded membership to the ‘Academy of Science’ in Paris, Berlin, St. Petersburg, London, and many others.

Personal Life & Legacy

In 1694, he married Dorothea Falkner. She was the daughter of an Alderman of Basel and together they had three children Nicolaus II, Daniel, and Johann II.

It is reported that he kicked his son Daniel out of their home after the son took home a mathematical prize in the competition they both had entered.

He became known as the ‘Archimedes of his age’ and enjoyed the title so much he had it inscribed on his tombstone upon his death in 1748.

He published many acclaimed papers and mathematical text throughout his life and also completed an autobiography.

He was famous for teaching Leonhard Euler, who would publish over 900 works about mathematics in his lifetime.

Trivia

This famous personality was responsible for having his own son, Daniel, thrown out of the ‘Academy of Science’. Historians speculate this was because of jealousy.

This famous mathematician is admired for writing nearly 3,000 letters during his lifetime.

Major Works

In 1697, he discovered the ‘Sophomore’s dream’ – an edited version of the ‘Freshman’s dream,’ which was in fact a mistake.

In 1713, he sided against Newton and his theory of gravity that, of course, proved to be the incorrect decision.

Johann Bernoulli Biography