His parents had six children and Sophus was the youngest of the six. Sophus first attended school in the town of Moss, which is a port in south-eastern Norway, on the eastern side of the Oslo Fjord.
Ang kanyang mga magulang ay may anim na mga bata at Sophus ay ang bunsong ng anim na. Sophus unang pumasok sa paaralan sa bayan ng Moss, na kung saan ay isang port sa timog-silangan Norway, sa silangan gilid ng Oslo Fjord.