Meanings
- mathematicsAn important statement about surfaces in differential geometry, connecting their geometry (in the sense of curvature) to their topology (in the sense of the Euler characteristic).
Synonyms: Gauss-Bonnet formula
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounAn important statement about surfaces in differential geometry, connecting their geometry (in the sense of curvature) to their topology (in the sense of the Euler characteristic).
Origin
Named after Carl Friedrich Gauss, who was aware of a version of the theorem but never published it, and Pierre Ossian Bonnet, who published a special case in 1848.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Gauss-Bonnet theorem. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gauss-Bonnet%20theorem
“Gauss-Bonnet theorem.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gauss-Bonnet%20theorem. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Gauss-Bonnet theorem,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gauss-Bonnet%20theorem.
Source: Gauss-Bonnet theorem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.