The Life of Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician, physicist and astronomer. He is considered to be the greatest mathematician of his time, equal to the likes of Archimedes and Isaac Newton. He is frequently called the founder of modern mathematics. It must also be noted that his work in the fields of astronomy and physics (especially the study of electromagnetism) is nearly as significant as that in mathematics. He also contributed much to crystallography, optics, biostatistics and mechanics. Gauss was born in Braunschweig, or