September 17, 1862 in the village of Breselenz near to

Dannenberg in Hangoverian Kingdom known now as Germany,

one of the world’s famous mathematician was born, Georg

Friedrich Bernhard Reimann. Raised by his Lutheran Pastor

father, Friedrich Bernhard Reimann and his mother Charlotte

Ebell who have died before he even reached adulthood. He has

five siblings and second among six children. When he was still a child, he possessed the qualities

of being timid and shy and he even incessantly suffered from social anxiety.

Elise Koch, one of the friends of Reimann’s sister became his wife when he proposed a

marriage in 1862 which the later accepted. They are blessed to have a daughter named Ida who

was born in Pisa at the year of 1863. But the happiness was then covered when a month after

their wedding, Reimann suffered an attack of pleurisy, a painful inflammation of the lungs that

can be caused by tuberculosis.

Year 1840 at the age of 13, he lived with his maternal randmother in Hanover and there,

he entered Tertia des Lyceums Gymnasium for the purpose of his studies where he had shown

raised amount of interest in the field of mathematics. Two years after he arrived at the city, his

grandmother died. He then moved to Johanneum Gymnasium in the small city of Luneburg.

Herr Schmalfuss, one of the teachers of Reimann ascertained his outstanding ability in

Math which caused it to lend him some advanced college-level Mathematical texts including the

works of great mathematicians, Leonard Euler and Adrien- Marie Legendre. After for just a few

days, Reimann returned the book to his teacher making Schmalfuss astonished by the stunt

showed to him by his student. He then questioned Bernhard about the book’s themes if he have
really read and understood the book and he was clearly and truly amazed with his confirmation.

It would have taken weeks or even months for a typical college student to comprehend and

absorb well the material, but then, Reimann was exceptional.

Adding up, Bernhard was also passionate with his religion that he even decided to study

Theology and Philology at the University of Gottingen in the year 1846, age 19. He also

continued to study Mathematics at the same time and attended the lectures of one of the greatest

mathematician in history- Carl Friedrich Gauss. After much dredging, Reimann decided to

choose the path of being a mathematician rather than following the steps of his father of

becoming a pastor. With respect,he asked the permission of his father and noticing his great

interest in this field, he finally got the approval of his father.

In the spring of 1847, Reimann moved to the University of Berlin for two years where he

was taught by number of preeminent mathematicians including Carl Jacobi, Lejeune Dirichlet,

and Gotthold Eisenstein.

December 1851, at the age of 25 Reimann got his doctorate in mathematics under the

facility of Gauss at the University of Gottingen with a thesis on the theory of Complex

Functions. He also studied Philosophy under the lectures of Wilhelm Weber.

Under the recommendation of Gauss, Reimann began his career as a Privatdozent in the

year 1852 still at the University of Gottingen and at the same time, he spent over a year being

Weber’s physics assistant. To obtain an appointment of becoming a lecturer, he began working

for his habilitation. Upon completing this habilitation, he still continued to work as a

privatdozent eventhough it doesn’t entail any amount of salary but then, he was able to collect
fees from his students. Partial differential Equations with applications to Physics was his first

course which he had a very few sstudents.

Year 1855, Dirichlet obtained the position of Gauss after its demise. 1857, He was

appointed as an Extraordinary Professsor still at the University of Gottingen. With the death of

Dirichlet, Reimann become a full professor at the year of 1859 and at the same year, he was also

elected to Berlin Academy of Sciences as a corresponding member.

Talking on the great contributions of Reimann, he holds the record as the founder of a new

branch of Geometry: the Reimannian Geometry also known as the Elliptic Geometry. One of the

non-Euclidean Geometries that absolutely rejects the logical ideas of Euclid’s fifth postulate.

Euclid was known in the field of mathematics particularly on Geometry when he have

presented five logical postulates which states:

Postulate #1:

“To draw a straight line from a point to any point.”

“To produce a finite straight line continuously

Postulate #3:

“To describe a circle with a center and distance”

Postulate #4:

“That all right angles are equal to one another”

Postulate #5:
 “That if a straight line falling on two straight lines make the interior angles on the same side
less than two right angles, the two straight lines, if produced indefinitely, meet on that side on
which are the angles less than the two right angles”

through a point not on a given line there is only one line parallel to the given line

Reimannian Geometry rejects the validity of the fifth Euclidean postulate also known as

the “parallel line postulate” but modifies and admits the remaining postulates. Here, Bernhard

creates the idea that a straight line of finite length can be extended continuously without bounds,

but all straight lines are of the same length. Adding up, putting the idea of the longitude and

latitude of the earth, it gives the idea that parallel lines don’t exist on the image of a sphere.

Thus, Reimannian Geometry clearly shows that the sum of the interior of the triangle measures

to more than 180º.

Bernhard doesn’t end up on here, he also have other major contributions such as the

Reimann Hypothesis, Reimann Integral, Reimann Surface and even paved the way on Einstein’s

General Theory of Relativity. Because of Non-Euclidean Geometry, Einstein opened and built a

new branch of knowledge in the field of Science making the ideas of Non-Euclidean Geometry

as its gateway.

On Reimann’s final years, he made several trips to Italy where his tuberculosis was eased

by the milder climate. But inspite of his gradual recovery, hes health started to decline and by the

middle of 1866, he become very sick.

Bernhard died while reciting the Lords’ prayer while sating under the fig tree together

with his wife knowing his meeting at that moment his end. He left his loved ones at the young

age of 39 because of Tuberculosis on July 20, 1866 in Selasca, Italy and was also buried at

Selasca.
 His remaining paper’s was published by his close friend Richard Dedekind two years

after he passed away. However, much of his research was never exposed because the cleaner not

knowing its importance have accidentally burned it.

www.pitt.edu/-jdnorton/teaching/HPS_0410/chapters/non_Euclidean_fifth_postulate/index.html

“Bernhard Reimann.” Famous Scientists. Famousscientists.org. 28 May.27.web.11/15/2019

http://comet.lehman.cuny.edu/sormani/research/riemgeom.html

https://www.britannica.com/science/Reimannian-geometry

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ReimannianGeometry.html
 Republic of the Philippines

Eastern Visayas State University

College of Education

Tacloban City

In Partial Requirement for the Subject

Modern Geometry (Math 233)

The Non- Euclidean Geometry

(Elliptic Geometry by Bernhard Reimann)

Presented by:

Advincula, Meliza

Baculbas, Angela

Cornista, John Rhod

Gamayon, John Mark

Macoy, Rica

Makabenta, Gerard

Pirante, Manilyn

Rarugal, Rosanna

Presented to:

Rodillo S. Makiling
Math Instructor
 Republic of the Philippines

Eastern Visayas State University

College of Education

Tacloban City

In Partial Requirement for the Subject

Modern Geometry (Math 233)

The Non- Euclidean Geometry

(Hyperbolic Geometry by Janos Bolyai)

Presented by:

Orbasido,Edward

Conos, Jovelyn

Lumagbas, Catherine

Gabion, Airine

Donzal, Cristina

Amolar, Cristina

Alle, Clifford

Ocop, Ma. Nina

Labiran, Cristal Jane

Presented to:

Rodillo S. Makiling
Math Instructor