Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) is the
eponym of all of the topics listed below.
There are over 100 topics all named after this German mathematician and scientist, all in the fields of mathematics, physics, and astronomy. The English eponymous adjective ''Gaussian'' is pronounced .
Mathematics
Algebra and linear algebra
Geometry and
differential geometry
Differential geometry is a mathematical discipline that studies the geometry of smooth shapes and smooth spaces, otherwise known as smooth manifolds. It uses the techniques of differential calculus, integral calculus, linear algebra and multili ...
Number theory
Cyclotomic fields
*
Gaussian period
*
Gaussian rational
*
Gauss sum, an
exponential sum over
Dirichlet characters
**
Elliptic Gauss sum
In mathematics, an elliptic Gauss sum is an analog of a Gauss sum depending on an elliptic curve with complex multiplication. The quadratic residue symbol in a Gauss sum is replaced by a higher residue symbol such as a cubic or quartic residue sym ...
, an analog of a
Gauss sum
**
Quadratic Gauss sum In number theory, quadratic Gauss sums are certain finite sums of roots of unity. A quadratic Gauss sum can be interpreted as a linear combination of the values of the complex exponential function with coefficients given by a quadratic character; fo ...
Analysis, numerical analysis, vector calculus and
calculus of variations
The calculus of variations (or Variational Calculus) is a field of mathematical analysis that uses variations, which are small changes in functions
and functionals, to find maxima and minima of functionals: mappings from a set of functions t ...
Complex analysis
Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates Function (mathematics), functions of complex numbers. It is helpful in many branches of mathemati ...
and
convex analysis
*
Gauss–Lucas theorem
*
Gauss's continued fraction, an analytic continued fraction derived from the hypergeometric functions
*
Gauss's criterion – described o
Encyclopedia of Mathematics*
Gauss's hypergeometric theorem, an identity on
hypergeometric series
*
Gauss plane
In mathematics, the complex plane is the plane formed by the complex numbers, with a Cartesian coordinate system such that the -axis, called the real axis, is formed by the real numbers, and the -axis, called the imaginary axis, is formed by the ...
Statistics

*
Gauss–Kuzmin distribution, a
discrete probability distribution
*
Gauss–Markov process
*
Gauss–Markov theorem
*
Gaussian copula
*
Gaussian measure
In mathematics, Gaussian measure is a Borel measure on finite-dimensional Euclidean space R''n'', closely related to the normal distribution in statistics. There is also a generalization to infinite-dimensional spaces. Gaussian measures are named ...
**
Gaussian correlation inequality
The Gaussian correlation inequality (GCI), formerly known as the Gaussian correlation conjecture (GCC), is a mathematical theorem in the fields of mathematical statistics and convex geometry. The statement
The Gaussian correlation inequality stat ...
**
Gaussian isoperimetric inequality In mathematics, the Gaussian isoperimetric inequality, proved by Boris Tsirelson and Vladimir Sudakov, and later independently by Christer Borell, states that among all sets of given Gaussian measure in the ''n''-dimensional Euclidean space, half-s ...
*
Gauss's inequality
Gaussian function and topics named for it
Knot theory
*
Gauss code
Gauss notation (also known as a Gauss code or Gauss word) is a notation for mathematical knots. It is created by enumerating and classifying the crossings of an embedding of the knot in a plane. It is named for the mathematician Carl Friedrich Gaus ...
– described o
website of University of Toronto*
Gauss linking integral
In mathematics, the linking number is a numerical invariant that describes the linking of two closed curves in three-dimensional space. Intuitively, the linking number represents the number of times that each curve winds around the other. In ...
(
knot theory
In the mathematical field of topology, knot theory is the study of knot (mathematics), mathematical knots. While inspired by knots which appear in daily life, such as those in shoelaces and rope, a mathematical knot differs in that the ends are ...
)
Other mathematical areas
* Gauss's algorithm for
determination of the day of the week
*
Gauss's Easter algorithm
As a moveable feast, the date of Easter is determined in each year through a calculation known as (). Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon on or after 21 March (a fixed approxi ...
*
Gaussian bracket – described o
WolframMathWorld*Gaussian's
modular arithmetic
*
Gaussian integer, usually written as
:*
Gaussian prime
*
Gaussian logarithms (also known as addition and subtraction logarithms)
Cartography
*
Gauss–Krüger coordinate system
The transverse Mercator map projection (TM, TMP) is an adaptation of the standard Mercator projection. The transverse version is widely used in national and international mapping systems around the world, including the Universal Transverse Merca ...
*
Gaussian grid
A Gaussian grid is used in the earth sciences as a gridded horizontal coordinate system for scientific modeling on a sphere (i.e., the approximate shape of the Earth). The grid is rectangular, with a set number of orthogonal coordinates (usually ...
Physics
*
Gaussian optics
Gaussian optics is a technique in geometrical optics that describes the behaviour of light rays in optical systems by using the paraxial approximation, in which only rays which make small angles with the optical axis of the system are considered. ...
Classical mechanics
*
Gauss's principle of least constraint
*For
orbit determination in
orbital mechanics:
**
Gauss's law for gravity
In physics, Gauss's law for gravity, also known as Gauss's flux theorem for gravity, is a law of physics that is equivalent to Newton's law of universal gravitation. It is named after Carl Friedrich Gauss. It states that the flux ( surface integ ...
**
Gaussian gravitational constant
**
Gaussian year
A Gaussian year is defined as 365.2568983 days. It was adopted by Carl Friedrich Gauss as the length of the sidereal year in his studies of the dynamics of the solar system.
A slightly different value is now accepted as the length of the sidereal y ...
Quantum mechanics
*
Gaussian orbital In computational chemistry and molecular physics, Gaussian orbitals (also known as Gaussian type orbitals, GTOs or Gaussians) are functions used as atomic orbitals in the LCAO method for the representation of electron orbitals in molecules and nume ...
Electromagnetism

*
gauss, the
CGS unit for
magnetic field
A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular to its own velocity and to ...
*
Degaussing, to demagnetize an object
*
Gauss rifle
A coilgun, also known as a Gauss rifle, is a type of mass driver consisting of one or more coils used as electromagnets in the configuration of a linear motor that accelerate a ferromagnetic or conducting projectile to high velocity. In alm ...
or coilgun
*
Gauss's law for magnetism
*
Gaussian surface
A Gaussian surface is a closed surface in three-dimensional space through which the flux of a vector field is calculated; usually the gravitational field, electric field, or magnetic field. It is an arbitrary closed surface (the boundary of a 3- ...
**
Gauss's law, giving the relationship between
flux
Flux describes any effect that appears to pass or travel (whether it actually moves or not) through a surface or substance. Flux is a concept in applied mathematics and vector calculus which has many applications to physics. For transport ph ...
through a closed surface and the enclosed source
Awards and recognitions
*
Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize, a mathematics award
*
Gauss Lectureship, a mathematical distinction
* The Gauss Mathematics Competition in Canadian junior high schools, an annual national mathematics competition administered by the
Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing
Place names and expedition named in his honour
Institutions named in his honour
* The Carl-Friedrich-Gauss School for Mathematics, Computer Science, Business Administration, Economics, and Social Sciences of
Braunschweig University of Technology
* The Carl-Friedrich-Gauss Gymnasium (a school for grades 5–13) in
Worms, Germany
Other things named for him
160px, ">Gaussia maya
* ''
Gaussia'', a palm genus described by
Hermann Wendland
Hermann Wendland (October 11, 1825 in Herrenhausen – January 12, 1903 in Hanover) was a German botanist and gardener.
He was a noted authority on the family Arecaceae (palms), on which he published a major monograph which formed the basis for t ...
with the then new species ''
Gaussia princeps'', collected by
Charles Wright in western Cuba. Named in “memoriam astronomi Caroli Friderici Gauss”.
[Wendland, H., 1865. Ueber die neue Palmengatung Gaussia. Nachr. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Georg-Augusts-Univ. 1865.]
* ''
Gaussia'', a genus of
copepod
Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthos, benthic (living on the ocean floor) ...
s
*
Gaussian
Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) is the eponym of all of the topics listed below.
There are over 100 topics all named after this German mathematician and scientist, all in the fields of mathematics, physics, and astronomy. The English eponymo ...
, a computational chemistry software program
*
GAUSS, a matrix programming language for mathematics and statistics
References
{{reflist
Gauss
List of things