Emmy Noether

Emmy Noether, in contrast to most people you'd probably encounter, has a lifetime passion for mathematics. Even though nearly none of us have ever heard of her, she was one of the most talented mathematicians of the 20th century. Her greatest accomplishment was developing a theorem based on Einstein's theory of relativity that is still frequently used today.

According to the now-famous Noether's Theorem, every symmetrical system in nature is protected against change by conservation rules. The theorem, which was established in 1915, the same year that Einstein debuted his general theory of relativity, may be obscure to the majority of us, but it is today a crucial idea in theoretical physics. Einstein once referred to her as the "most significant creative mathematical genius thus far generated" because of the significance of her work.

Born: Amalie Emmy Noether, 23 March 1882Erlangen, Bavaria, German Empire
Died: 14 April 1935 (aged 53)Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States

Known for: Abstract algebra, Theoretical physics, Noether's theorem, Noetherian ring, Lasker–Noether theorem