Maria Gretna Agnesi was born in Milan, Italy on May 16, 1718. Before her death on January 9, 1799, Agnesi published two books and became a well-known mathematician. Her famous contribution to the world of mathematics is the witch of agnesi which is a curve given by the equation xy^2 = a^2(a-x). The name of the curve is actually a mishap in the translation. One application to the witch is fitting the shapes of spectral lines. Agnesi was lucky in that she never encountered blatant sexism or any other discrimination for that matter. Click on the following links to learn more on Maria Agnesi and the Witch of Agnesi.
The life history to Maria AgnesiGender and Multicultural Issues
What is the Witch of Agnesi?
The Origin to the Name of the Witch
How to Draw the Witch of Agnesi
The Cartesian Expression to the Witch
The Parametric Equations to the Witch
Applications to the Witch
Pictures of the Witch
Introduction to the worksheet
Worksheet
Genealogy
References