The biography of Euler and Gauss as inspiration to study science

Abstract

There is a latent educational problem, mainly in the field of exact sciences, where there are indicators of high failure rates and poor student performance; Likewise, there is a lack of interest in fundamental issues. Perhaps one of the main causes of this is that the teaching-learning methods have not been updated, that is, we have not incorporated new technologies. In addition to the above, we consider that there is another element that consists of seeking the motivation of the student body through knowing the biographical history of the great scientific figures. The aim of this work is to propose the inclusion of a series of topics from two of the great mathematicians in history: Leonardo Euler and Carl Friedrich Gauss, so that they can be integrated into the courses, seeking to increase the interest of the boys. Therefore, a set of lessons is suggested for Mathematics and Physics courses at the preparatory level. The following topics can be explained from Euler: Euler’s straight line, Prime numbers, Formula of polyhedral, Euler identity and convergent series. From Gauss: sum of consecutive numbers, formula of prime numbers, normal distribution function, Gauss surfaces, method of least squares, solution of systems with Gauss Jordan elimination, and finally, some generalizations of his contributions in electromagnetism and astronomy.