Niels Henrik Abel Biography

Niels Henrik Abel was a Norwegian mathematician whose pioneering work in algebra and function theory fundamentally reshaped the field. He is most renowned for his definitive proof demonstrating the impossibility of solving the general quintic equation using radicals, a problem that had confounded mathematicians for 250 years. Abel also independently developed group theory, a cornerstone of modern mathematics and physics, and made profound contributions to the theory of elliptic and abelian functions. Though largely unrecognized during his brief life, his intellectual legacy continues to inspire and challenge mathematicians centuries later.