Carl Friedrich Gauss, born on 30 April 1777 in

Germany is sometimes referred to as the "Prince of

Mathematicians" and is ranked as one of history's
most influential mathematicians.

He studied at the prestigious University of Gottingen
where he discovered several important theorems. At
15, Gauss was the first to find any kind of a pattern
in the occurrence of prime numbers. Number theory
was his favorite area and his work on complex
numbers was revolutionary. At the age of just 22, he
proved what is now known as the Fundamental
Theorem of Algebra. Gauss introduced what is now
known as Gaussian distribution. In 1801, when he
was 24 years old, he published his book
Disquisitiones Arithmeticae, which laid the
foundations for modern number theory.

In his later years, he collaborated with Wilhelm
Weber on measurements of the Earth's magnetic
field and in his honor the unit of magnetic induction
is known as the gauss.