Born in Brunswick, Germany, he is usually regarded as the greatest
mathematician who ever lived. Before he was fifteen he conceived
the Gaussian Law in the theory of probability and the Prime Number Theorem
("If P(n) is the number of primes less than n, then
limit P(n)/(n/ln(n)) = 1"). At age twenty-two he gave the first
satisfactory proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra
("Every polynomial equation with real or complex coefficients has at least
one real or complex root").Gauss never left the University of Gottingen, Germany, making it the world centre of excellence in mathematical thought. While there, he worked on problems in mathematics, astronomy, physics and geodesy (wherein he was concerned with the precise measurements of triangles on the earth's surface, leading to important discoveries in the theory of surfaces).
Gauss was often occupied with very practical applications, undertaking, for example, to survey the district around his home town, Brunswick. He was also a perfectionist, insisting upon the greatest mathematical rigour. He refused to publish his discoveries until they were highly polished and concise (often making them exceedingly difficult to read!). Many ideas attributed to other mathematicians originated with Gauss. (A diary of his, containing a wealth of information concerning his investigations over an eighteen year period, was discovered thirty-five years after his death.)