1695-1726

Swiss Mathematician

The first and favorite son of Johann Bernoulli (1667-1748), Nikolaus Bernoulli was destined to be overshadowed by his younger brother Daniel (1700-1782). However, working in collaboration his brother Daniel, Nikolaus contributed to the formulation of the famous St. Petersburg Paradox, a question of probability.

The Bernoullis were a distinguished family of Swiss mathematicians and scientists dating back to Nikolaus's grandfather, Nikolas (1623-1708). Grandfather Nikolas had three sons—Jakob (1654-1705), Nikolaus (1662-1716), and Johann (1667-1748). Jakob, a professor of mathematics in Basel, Switzerland, died without leaving any notable offspring of his own. Nikolaus, often referred to as "Nikolaus I" to distinguish him from the two other men of that name in the family, had a son named Nikolaus (1687-1759), typically designated as "Nikolaus II". Adding to the confusion is the fact that this Nikolaus, a professor of mathematics at Padua and later of law...