Sofia Kovalevskaya

With this app students learn about the life and contributions to mathematics and physics made by Sofia Kovalevskaya. It discusses her major mathematical discoveries including her work related to partial differential equations. Sofia Kovalevskaya was born in Moscow in 1850. Her family lived well. Sofia's father was a general in the Russian army. The family valued education and provided tutors for Sofia when she was a young girl. At this time Moscow was the capital of the Russian and not unlike other major cities in Europe, it was dealing with forces of change. At this time girls were not able to get a higher education. But Sofia persisted and eventually she was able to get a degree in mathematics and was awarded a doctorate. Sofia studied advanced mathematics, in particular, partial differential equations. She also studied physics and especially the role of mathematics in physics. Eventually Sofia started working at the University of Stockholm in Sweden. Sofia had many challenges to overcome. She was denied opportunities because she was a woman, but in the end she was able to make huge contributions to the field of mathematics and physics. Using this app students learn about her amazing life. It includes introductory information about advanced mathematics. We hope that this app will inspire students to pursue careers in mathematics. Students will enjoy using this graphically illustrated, interactive learning tool. The timeline feature presents key events in Sofia Kovalevskaya's interesting career. By tapping on timeline points brings up descriptions of historically significant events and the role that Sofia Kovalevskaya played. A quiz function helps students demonstrate their comprehension of the reading material. Key math concepts are shown in colorful illustrations. We hope this app will inspire students to study mathematics. The app shows that Sofia Kovalevskaya certainly deserves the place she has earned in the history of mathematics.