Mathematician:Nicolaus II Bernoulli

Mathematician

Swiss mathematician who worked mostly on curves, differential equations and probability theory.

He also contributed to hydrodynamics.

Studied as a lawyer, and became involved in the priority dispute between Newton and Leibniz, and also the one between Johann Bernoulli and Brook Taylor.

Posed the problem of reciprocal orthogonal trajectories in $1720$.

Son of Johann Bernoulli and the elder brother of Daniel Bernoulli and Johann II Bernoulli.

Nationality

Swiss

History

• Born: 6 Feb 1695, Basel, Switzerland
• 1708: Studied mathematics and law at the University of Basel
• 1711: Received Master's of Philosophy degree
• 1715: Received a Doctorate in Law
• 1716 - 17: Private tutor in Venice
• 1719: Took the Chair in Mathematics at the University of Padua
• 1723: Law professor at the Berner Oberen Schule
• 1725: Together with his brother Daniel Bernoulli, invited by Peter the Great to the newly founded St. Petersburg Academy
• Died: 31 July 1726, St Petersburg, Russia

He was succeeded at St. Petersburg Academy in 1727 by Leonhard Euler, who had been recommended by the Bernoulli brothers.

Also see

• The Bernoulli Family

Also known as

1937: Eric Temple Bell: Men of Mathematics refers to Nicolaus II Bernoulli as Nicolaus III Bernoulli, which appears to arise from a confusion between Nicolaus Bernoulli (1662 – 1716) and Nicolaus II Bernoulli (1695 – 1726).

Sources

• John J. O'Connor and Edmund F. Robertson: "Nicolaus II Bernoulli": MacTutor History of Mathematics archive

• 2008: Ian Stewart: Taming the Infinite ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $6$: Curves and Coordinates: Cartesian coordinates