Geneviève Guitel
Geneviève Guitel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 May 1895 |
| Died | 30 July 1982 (aged 87) |
| Occupation | Mathematician |
| Known for | Coining the terms long scale and short scale |
Geneviève Guitel (24 May 1895 – 30 July 1982) was a French mathematician. She is noted for the introduction of the terms échelle longue and échelle courte (long scale and short scale) to refer to two of the main numbering systems used around the world.
Early life and education
Geneviève Guitel was born in Marly-le-Roi on 24 May 1895. In 1920, she placed first in a women's mathematics competitive examination.[1]
Career
Guitel was appointed as mathematics teacher in 1920[2] and taught at the Lycée Molière in Paris, eventually becoming a professor there.[3] She published mathematical papers between 1943–1979.[4] In 1953, she defended her doctoral thesis on the metric study of tetrahedron families. In 1955, Guitel was awarded the French Academy of Sciences' prix Gegner for this piece of work . She was only the second woman to be awarded the prize, the first female recipient was Marie Curie.
Publications
Her publications include Histoire comparée des numérations écrites, (Comparative History of Written Number Systems) where on p. 51–52 and in the chapter "Les grands nombres en numération parlée", p. 566–574, (English: The large numbers in oral numeration), she made the first recorded use of the terms échelle longue and échelle courte.[5][6]
- Histoire comparée des numérations écrites, Geneviève Guitel, Éd. Flammarion, Paris, 1975 ISBN 9782082111041 (in French)
Commemoration
In 2026, Guitel was announced as one of 72 historical women in STEM whose names have been proposed to be added to the 72 men already celebrated on the Eiffel Tower. The plan was announced by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo following the recommendations of a committee led by Isabelle Vauglin of Femmes et Sciences and Jean-François Martins, representing the operating company which runs the Eiffel Tower.[7][8][9][1]
References
- ^ a b 72 femmes de sciences pour la tour Eiffel Femmes & Sciences (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-28
- ^ André Chervel, "Les agrégés de l’enseignement secondaire. Répertoire 1809-1950"
- ^ "Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l'Académie des sciences, séance du 5 décembre 1955, vol.241, p.1658".
- ^ http://www.centre-charles-moraze.msh-paris.fr/IMG/pdf/moz17-4.pdf Archived 22 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine pp 474–475. (in French)
- ^ Guitel, Geneviève (1975). Histoire comparée des numérations écrites (in French). Paris: Flammarion. pp. 51–52.
- ^ Guitel, Geneviève (1975). Histoire comparée des numérations écrites (in French). Paris: Flammarion. pp. 566–574 – chapter "Les grands nombres en numération parlée" (English: The large numbers in oral numeration).
- ^ "Eiffel Tower: a list of 72 women scientists will soon be inscribed on the Parisian monument". www.sortiraparis.com. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "Eiffel Tower to honor 72 women scientists for posterity". 26 January 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "Les noms des 72 femmes pour la Tour Eiffel ont été révélés". Femmes & Sciences (in French). Retrieved 28 February 2026.