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2011 is the bicentenary of the birth of a leading figure in the history of mathematics: Évariste Galois. This extraordinary genius, who died at the age of twenty, created a “theory of ambiguity”, foreshadowing the idea of groups and invariants, which were to unify algebra and geometry and play a fundamental role in all of mathematics, in classical and quantum physics and even in chemistry.

To mark this bicentenary, the Institut Henri Poincaré (IHP) and the Société Mathématique de France (SMF) wish to commemorate Galois’s personality and work, to retrace his legacy and to illustrate its scope, relevance today and future developments. To this end, they are organising an afternoon for the general public during which the life and work of Galois will be presented and discussed, a week-long conference intended for both mathematicians and historians, together with an exhibition at the IHP library, in partnership with the Fondation Sciences Mathématiques de Paris, from mid-October to the end of November.

As well as describing these events, this website aims to list pointers to various activities organised on the occasion of this bicentenary, together with historical and mathematical documentation:

  • The Events section presents, in more or less detail, the many events organised to mark the bicentenary of Galois’s birth.
  • The Ressources section (available only in french) groups together historical and mathematical documentation describing the life off Galois, as well as his work and its impact on mathematics, and journal articles, books and website which we find to be interesting.
  • The Forum section provides a place for discussion, intended to promote exchanges on all things Galois among our visitors.