Gauss died in 1855 and his work still influences modern mathematics. Someone told me while in grad school that in number theory we’re still figuring out stuff that Gauss already knew.
I think that’s more about what he chose to publish. He was known for discovering things and keeping them to himself.
As I understand it, he actually first came to conjecture quadratic reciprocity after doing incredible amounts of calculation by hand and noticing the pattern.
>he actually first came to conjecture quadratic reciprocity after doing incredible amounts of calculation by hand and noticing the pattern.
Indeed, this was Gauss's method for exploring the mathematical landscape; vast calculations were his "microscope" and "experimental apparatus". He had a passion for computation, which he applied later in his life fully in his astronomy work.