Bernoulli & L'HôpitalFollowing the death of French mathematician Guillaume De L'Hôpital in 1704, Johann Bernoulli made a remarkable confession. In 1694, he and L'Hôpital had made a Faustian bargain. De L'Hôpital agreed to pay Bernoulli at least 300 francs per year; in exchange De L'Hôpital demanded that Bernoulli:
1. solve all mathematical problems submitted by De L'Hôpital,
2. not disclose his findings to anyone else, and
3. not tell anyone about the deal.
Nonetheless, De L'Hôpital is still famed in mathematical circles and the rule for finding the limit of a rational function whose numerator and denominator tend to zero is still called "L'Hôpital's Rule."
[Bernoulli's allegations were lent credence by the discovery of documents in Basel in 1922.]
Bernoulli, Johann [Jean] (1667-1748) Swiss mathematician [noted for his development of the calculus of variations]
[Sources: G. Sierksma, Johann Bernoulli: His Ten Turbulent Years in Groningen; The Mathematical Intelligencer, vol. 14, 4, 1992, p.26]More Johann Bernoulli anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Mathematics Deception Fraud Bribery Scandals Vanity
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