I have read a bit about Gauss, who was well known for being careful in only publishing work he had perfected (or in his own words "few, but ripe"). What is interesting to me about Gauss though is that all accounts of his students and contemporaries essentially make him appear flawless. Dedekind's recollections of how whenever Gauss wrote out an argument he used exactly the amount of space he had available, etc. In Disquistiones Arithmeticae, Gauss for example points out the flaws and shortcomings of other famous mathematicians such as Euler, who some might rank close to Gauss.
So I am curious if there is a single recorded instance of Gauss ever having made a mathematical error.
Thanks,
Matt
Best Answer
Euler ranks higher than Gauss in my opinion. Having said that, I do not know if there is a recorded instance of Gauss making a mathematical error, but it's worth pointing out that the work of the 18th and early 19th century mathematicians was plagued by lack of rigor. Only later in the 18th century did the strides in analysis give mathematics a solid grounding.