Groundbreaking German mathematician Emmy Noether -- one of the most influential mathematicians of modern times -- was born on this day in 1882. Noether revolutionized the understanding of abstract algebra and made groundbreaking contributions to theoretical physics. Albert Einstein once commended her as the "the most significant creative mathematical genius thus far produced since the higher education of women began." In physics, she explained the connection between symmetry and conservation laws in her Noether's theorem and, in algebra, her influence is so far-reaching that numerous mathematical objects have been named in her honor.
The mathematician Norbert Wiener also lauded Noether as "the greatest woman mathematician who has ever lived; and the greatest woman scientist of any sort now living, and a scholar at least on the plane of Madame Curie." Unfortunately, even given the scale of her contributions to the field, Emmy Noether is largely unknown today; a fate all too common to many female scientists and mathematicians of the past. As the New York Times observed in a tribute, "Scientists are a famously anonymous lot, but few can match in the depths of her perverse and unmerited obscurity the 20th-century mathematical genius Amalie Noether."
For a captivating picture book biography about this extraordinary mathematician, we recommend "Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You've Never Heard Of" for ages 6 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/emmy-noether-mathematician
She is also among the trailblazing women of STEM featured in "Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World," for ages 9 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/women-in-science) and "Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science – and The World" for teens and adults (https://www.amightygirl.com/headstrong-52-women)
For two great games to teach kids math basics in a fun and engaging way, check out Tiny Polka Dot: Number-Loving Fun! for ages 3 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/tiny-polka-dot) and Prime Climb for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/prime-climb)
And for more toys and games to encourage your Mighty Girl's love of math at every age, check out our blog post, “Add It Up! Top 35 Math Toys for Mighty Girls,” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12180