Ernst Eduard Kummer
π Day 14/100: The Greatest Mathematicians of All Time — Ernst Eduard Kummer π Welcome to Day 14 of our captivating journey through the lives and legacies of the world’s greatest mathematicians. Today, we explore the life and contributions of Ernst Eduard Kummer (1810–1893), a brilliant 19th-century German mathematician whose work laid the foundation for algebraic number theory, complex analysis, and modern cryptography. Ranked at #87 on our list, Kummer is best known for his pioneering work on ideal numbers, which helped advance the study of prime numbers and Fermat's Last Theorem. π Early Life and Academic Path: A Scholar Ahead of His Time Born in Sorau, Prussia (now Ε»ary, Poland) in 1810, Ernst Kummer showed early promise in mathematics. He studied at the University of Halle , where he initially pursued theology before shifting to mathematics. His exceptional talent quickly became evident, and he went on to teach at prestigious institutions, including the University of Br...