The First Russian Woman-Scientist
The outstanding Russian mathematician, Sophia Kovalevskaya, lived and worked in the second half of the 19th century. It was the period of Russia's most remarkable advancement in science and culture.
Sophia was born in Moscow on January 15, 1850 in a well-off family of an-artillery general, Korvin-Krukovsky. Her father, a well educated person himself, insisted that his children – two daughters and a son – should get a sound education, too. But, as the family used to live in the village of Palibino almost all the year round, he had to invite teachers from St. Petersburg who were to instruct his children in arithmetic, grammar, geography, history, literature and foreign languages.
Though Sophia liked literature very much, she showed an unusual gift in mathematics, too. When she was only twelve she surprised her teacher by suggesting a new solution for the determination of the ratio of the diameter of the circle to its circumference.
In 1866, Sophia and her elder sister were taken to St. Petersburg where Sophia was allowed to go on with her studies. But, as women were not permitted to attend public lectures, she was obliged to read privately. Her teacher was Strannolyubsky, an ardent supporter of the cause of education in general and women education in particular. He suggested that she should apply for permission to attend lectures at the University, which she did.
Although the permission was granted, she was not allowed to take examinations, to say nothing of taking a degree1.
The only possible way out for her was to go abroad. But in this case there was a condition, which was to be observed: if a woman wanted to go abroad, she should be married. In 1868 she married Vladimir Kovalevsky and soon they left for Vienna where she began to study physics at the University. But she wouldn't stop at that. Soon Sophia made up her mind to go to Heidelberg University. There she could study under such scholars as Helmholz and Bunzen, as her intention was to take examinations and get a degree (Ph. D).
In 1870 the Kovalevskys went to Berlin. During the four years spent in Berlin, Sophia succeeded not only in covering the University course but also in writing free dissertations, for which the University of Gottinggen granted her a Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in absentia2. They even excused her from oral examinations in consideration of the scientific value of her dissertations, one of which, "On the Theory of Partial Differential Equations", was considered one of her most remarkable works.
Some years later the Kovalevskys returned to St. Petersburg. Despite the efforts of Mendeleyev, Butlerov and Chebyshev, Sophia Kovalevskaya, an outstanding scientist already, could not get any position at the University and was obliged to turn to journalism. But as she had made up her mind to take her Magister's Degree, she returned to Berlin to complete her work on the refraction of light in crystals.
It was only in 1883 that she was given an оpportunity to report on the results of her research at a session held in Odessa, but again no post followed. That is why, when she was offered lectureship at Stockholm University, she willingly accepted the offer.
In 1888 she achieved the greatest of her successes, winning the highest prize offered by the Paris Academy of Sciences for the solution of a complicated problem: to perfect in one important point the theory of the movement of a solid body about an immovable point. The solution suggested by her made a valuable addition to the results submitted by Euler and Lagrange. The prize was doubled as recognition of the unusual merits of her work.
In 1889 Sophia Kovalevskaya was awarded another prize, this time by the Swedish Academy of Sciences. Soon in spite of her being3 the only woman-lecturer in Sweden, she was elected professor of mathematics and held the post until her death.
Along with her scientific and pedagogical work she carried out a good deal of literary work, took part in editing the journal "Acta Mathematica", and translated Chebyshev's works into French. She' was able to do it owing to the thorough knowledge of foreign languages. In consideration of her literary work she was elected member of the Literary Club in Stockholm, where she used to meet Ibsen and Grieg with whom she made friends.
Unfortunately, Sophia Kovalevskaya died at the age of 41 on February 10, 1891, just as she had attained the height of her fame and had won recognition even in her own country where she was elected member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
Notes
| 1 to say nothing of taking a degree | – не говоря уже о том, чтобы получить степень |
| 2 in absentia | – (лат), заочно |
| 3 in spite of her being | – несмотря на то, что она была |
Vocabulary Exercises
I. Ответьте на следующие вопросы, используя текст, приведенный выше.
a) 1. Was Sophia able to speak and write French in her childhood? 2. Could her father find highly qualified teachers in Palibino? 3. Did he have to invite a teacher from St. Petersburg to give his children a sound education? 4. Were women allowed to take a degree in old Russia? 5. Were progressive scientists able to make the government grant women the right to education? 6. Was Sophia allowed to go abroad when she got married? 7.Was she granted a degree in Berlin? 8. Did her Ph. D help her to get a position in Russia?
b) 1. When was Sophia Korvin-Krukovskaya born? 2. What were her favourite subjects while she was a child? 3. What kind of solution did she suggest at the age of twelve? 4.Why couldn't she attend lectures at the St. Petersburg University? 5. In what countries did her works get recognition? 6.What did she get her first prize for? 7. Where was she offered lectureship? 8. Why was she elected member of the Literary Club in Stockholm? 9. Whom would she meet there? 10. Whose works did she translate into French? 11. How old was she when she won recognition in Russia? 12. When did she die?