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Kovalevskaya

Sofia Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya, also known as Sophie Kovalevsky, was a Russian mathematician whose work and career helped open the study of mathematics to women in Europe. Born in 1850 in Moscow, she pursued advanced mathematical study despite social barriers and limited access to formal training for women. She studied privately with leading mathematicians in Russia and abroad and eventually moved to Germany to continue her education.

Kovalevskaya earned a doctorate from the University of Göttingen in 1874, becoming one of the first women

In the 1880s Kovalevskaya moved to Sweden after marrying Vladimir Kovalevsky and settled in Stockholm. She

Kovalevskaya’s legacy lies in her trailblazing role for women in mathematics and in the enduring influence

to
attain
a
high-level
degree
in
mathematics
in
Europe.
Her
mathematical
research
encompassed
analysis,
differential
equations,
and
mechanics.
She
contributed
to
the
theory
of
partial
differential
equations
and
is
best
known
for
introducing
and
analyzing
a
special
case
of
rigid
body
motion,
now
celebrated
as
the
Kowalevski
top,
a
classical
example
of
an
integrable
system
in
rigid
body
dynamics.
Her
work
also
engaged
with
questions
surrounding
the
Cauchy
problem
and
the
analytic
behavior
of
solutions.
was
appointed
professor
of
mathematics
at
Stockholm
University
in
1884,
becoming
the
first
woman
to
hold
a
professorial
chair
in
mathematics
in
Europe.
She
remained
active
in
mathematical
research
until
her
death
in
1891.
of
her
contributions
to
analysis
and
classical
mechanics.
The
Kowalevski
top
remains
a
foundational
example
in
the
study
of
integrable
systems.