Nicolaus I Bernoulli
Encyclopedia
Nicolaus Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician
and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family.
He was the son of Nicolaus Bernoulli, painter and Alderman of Basel. In 1704 he graduated at the University of Basel
under Jakob Bernoulli and obtained his PhD five years later with a work on probability theory
in law. 1716 he obtained the Galileo-chair at the University of Padua
, where he worked on differential equations and geometry
. In 1722 he returned to Switzerland and obtained a chair in Logics at the University of Basel
.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in March, 1714.
His most important contributions can be found in his letters, in particular to Pierre Rémond de Montmort. In these letters, he introduced in particular the St. Petersburg Paradox
. He also communicated with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Leonhard Euler
.
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family.
He was the son of Nicolaus Bernoulli, painter and Alderman of Basel. In 1704 he graduated at the University of Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
under Jakob Bernoulli and obtained his PhD five years later with a work on probability theory
Probability theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either be single...
in law. 1716 he obtained the Galileo-chair at the University of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
, where he worked on differential equations and geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
. In 1722 he returned to Switzerland and obtained a chair in Logics at the University of Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in March, 1714.
His most important contributions can be found in his letters, in particular to Pierre Rémond de Montmort. In these letters, he introduced in particular the St. Petersburg Paradox
St. Petersburg paradox
In economics, the St. Petersburg paradox is a paradox related to probability theory and decision theory. It is based on a particular lottery game that leads to a random variable with infinite expected value, i.e., infinite expected payoff, but would nevertheless be considered to be worth only a...
. He also communicated with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist. He made important discoveries in fields as diverse as infinitesimal calculus and graph theory. He also introduced much of the modern mathematical terminology and notation, particularly for mathematical analysis, such as the notion...
.