Niels Henrik Abel

Early Life

Mathematical Work

Career

Death

Early Life Was born in Norway, 5 August 1802

Niels Abel entered the Cathedral School at the age of 13.

His mathematical teacher saw Niels Henrik's talent in mathematics, and encouraged him to study the subject to an advanced level.

He even gave Niels private lessons after school.

Study at the Royal Frederick University.

Career

1823, Niels Abel published his first article in "Magazin for Naturvidenskaberne", Norway's first scientific journal

Abel published his first notable work in 1824Memoir on algebraic equations, in which the impossibility of solving the general equation of the fifth degree is proven

Career

He went to Berlin and to the Alps to study geology.

visit Gauss in Göttingen and then continue to Paris.On the way, he visited the astronomer Heinrick Christian Schumacher in Hanburg.

In Freiberg Abel did brilliant research in the theory of functions, particularly: elliptic, hyperelliptic, and a new class now known as abelian functions.

DeathWhile in Paris, Abel had contracted tuberculosis. For Christmas 1828, he traveled by sled to Froland to visit again his fiancée.

All this time, Crelle had been searching for a new job for Abel in Berlin, and had actually managed to have him appointed a professor at a university.

Crelle wrote to Abel on 8 April 1829 to tell him the good news, but it came too late.

He became seriously ill on the journey and, although a temporary improvement allowed the couple to enjoy the holiday together, died just two days before a letter arrived from August Crelle.

Mathematical Work

Abel gave a proof of the binomial theorem valid for all numbers

At age 19, he showed there is no general algebraic solution for the roots of a quintic (5’th degree) equation.

To do this, he invented an extremely important branch of mathematics known as group theory.

Abel wrote a fundamental work on the theory of elliptic integrals, containing the foundations of the theory of elliptic funtions.

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