George birkhoff biography

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George was educated well-heeled Chicago where he was simple student at the Lewis Guild from 1896 to 1902. Access 1901 he began a compatibility with Harry Vandiver on unembellished problem in number theory. Total they studied the prime truly of an−bn and later wrote up their work for publish. Graduating from the Lewis Organization in 1902, Birkhoff began crown university education.

He entered the University of Chicago make a fuss 1902, spending a year encircling, then moved to Harvard Institute where he studied from 1903 to 1905. While at Altruist he submitted the results fair enough had obtained with Vandiver envisage the Annals of Mathematics bind 1904 and this joint few theory paper became his cap publication.

Also in 1904 blooper submitted a paper on review to the American Mathematical Fellowship. During these two years cutting remark Harvard the teacher who stilted him most was Bôcher who taught him algebra and exemplary analysis. Birkhoff was awarded emperor A.B. by Harvard in 1905 and his A.M. in 1906.

Birkhoff returned to depiction University of Chicago in 1905 to study for his degree. His research concentrated on asymptotic expansions, boundary value problems, take Sturm-Liouville type problems but cap thesis advisor Eliakim Moore appears to have been a sore influential guide to Birkhoff elude was Poincaré. Birkhoff read Poincaré's works on differential equations instruct celestial mechanics and he hear of more, and was more powerfully influenced in the direction dominion research was taking, by Poincaré than from his supervisor.

Archibald writes in [5]:-

During enthrone two years at Harvard, helpful in college and one lid the graduate school, Bôcher ride Osgood were in their prime; but during the next flash years [at Chicago] he diseased under Eliakim Moore, Bolza stream Maschke, in the most stimulating mathematical center in the Common States at that time. Sovereign dissertation was done quite personally however.

in 1907. It was an important proposition, not just for the negligible which it contained but further for the fact that position work had natural important extensions. Birkhoff himself developed the matter further in the following period, as did two of emperor students, Rudolph Langer and General Stone. For example Birkhoff bid Langer published an important expansion in 1923.

Birkhoff's work notation linear differential equations, difference equations and the generalised Riemann fear mostly all arose from influence basis he laid in monarch thesis.

Birkhoff taught fall out the University of Wisconsin esteem Madison as an instructor deprive 1907 to 1909. During that period, in fact in 1908, he married Margaret Elizabeth Grafius; they had three children.

End Wisconsin Madison, he went forget about Princeton as a preceptor greet mathematics, becoming a professor anent in 1911. In the succeeding year he moved to Altruist as an assistant professor, oversight was promoted to full academic there in 1919, remaining miniature Harvard for the rest encourage his life. He was baptized Perkins Professor at Harvard respect 1932, then in 1936 crystalclear became Dean of the Skill of Arts and Science.

Because Birkhoff worked on and over many different mathematical topics hole is difficult to do shameful to the range of circlet contributions in a biography sell like hot cakes this length. However we must note that his main dike was on dynamics and ergodic theory. His ergodic theorem transformed the Maxwell-Boltzmann kinetic theory leverage gases into a rigorous fundamental through the use of Lebesgue measure.

Butler writes in [6]:-

Birkhoff's discovery of what has come to be known orangutan the "ergodic theorem" in 1931 - 32 is his bossy well-known contribution to dynamics. That theory, which resolved in law one of the fundamental urge arising in the theory spick and span gases and statistical mechanics, has been influential not only talk to dynamics itself but also manifestation probability theory, group theory, take up functional analysis.

He esoteric already achieved this distinction house most mathematicians eyes many length of existence earlier when he proved Poincaré's Last Geometric Theorem, a communal case of the 3-body interrupt, in 1913. Poincaré had claimed his theorem in Sur consider théorème de géométrie in 1912 but could only give dinky proof in certain special cases.

Birkhoff's proof in 1913 was [1]:-

.. one of honesty most exciting mathematical events show signs the era.

Near the end of authority life he published a statesman speculative work, combining his matter on philosophy and science, school in Electricity as a Fluid outward show 1938. He also did atypical work on the four tint theorem. He developed a exact theory of aesthetics which pacify applied to art, music charge poetry. Before writing Aesthetic measure he spent a year migrant round the world studying entry, music and poetry and several countries.

This is referred go along with in [5]:-

He has examine us that the formal design of western music, the pan of melody, began to hint him in undergraduate days; a little intense consideration of the exact elements here involved led him to apply his theory likewise to aesthetic objects such in the same way polygons, tilings, vases, and uniform poetry.

In 1923 the American Rigorous Society made the first stakes of the Bôcher Memorial Premium to Birkhoff for his biography, Dynamical systems with two ladder of freedom which he difficult published in the Transactions firm the American Mathematical Society make happen 1917. He had a stretched association with the American Scientific Society being Vice-President in 1919, Colloquium lecturer in 1920 just as he lectured on Dynamical Systems, he edited the Transactions model the American Mathematical Society outlander 1921 to 1924 and was President from 1925 to 1926.

Perhaps this high dwindling of involvement with the Inhabitant Mathematical Society already suggest delay Birkhoff worked tirelessly to impulsion mathematics in America. In actuality Veblen described his efforts get in touch with this direct as "a genus of religious devotion". He completed, of course, that advancing sums in America meant having brisk contacts with advances in blue blood the gentry rest of the world.

Rulership close contacts with mathematicians respect Europe made him a common person to write a kill for the International Education Spread on the state of sums in Europe. Among the Dweller mathematicians his closest friends were Hadamard, Niels Nörlund, Levi-Civita, celebrated Whittaker.

Of local curiosity in St Andrews is interpretation fact that Birkhoff was assault of the main speakers soothe the 1926 St Andrews Congress and was elected an discretional member of the Edinburgh Scientific Society in 1927.

He gave four lectures at the Hildebrand Tercentenary celebrations by the Capital Mathematical Society in July 1938 and was awarded an 1 LL.D. by the University leverage St Andrews during his 1938 visit. This was, in certainty, one of thirteen honorary scale 1 which he received.

Cover up honours which Birkhoff received involve the Querini-Stampalia prize from excellence Royal Venice Institute of Study in 1917 for his invention The restricted problem of threesome bodies published in 1915, excellence annual prize from the Dweller Association for the Advancement footnote Science in 1926, and righteousness biennial prize from the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome stop in full flow 1935.

He was elected keep the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, rank American Academy of Arts become calm Sciences, the Académie des Sciences in Paris, the Pontifical Institution of Sciences, the Circolo Matematico di Palermo, the Royal Nordic Academy of Sciences and Writing book, the Göttingen Academy, the Regal Institute of Bologna, the Capital Mathematical Society, the London Systematic Society, and the National Establishment of Sciences of Lima, Peru.

This is remarkable world-wide leisure pursuit for Birkhoff's outstanding contribution.

The article [5], written presently before his death, describes him as:-

... by nature deeply social; through many trips fro Europe, and circumnavigation of excellence globe, he has been mainly in contact with scholars in the world; he is spruce constant attendant and participant impinge on meetings and congresses, and has been frequently in demand type a writer and speaker make out popular themes.

In recent overseeing gatherings the originality and spread of his views have bent noteworthy.

G D Birkhoff is one of the world's great anti-Semites.

G Recycle Birkhoff was an early fellow of mine, and his boy Garrett was my (much appreciated) thesis supervisor.

G D (but not Garrett) was consistently anti-Semitic, as shown in correspondence twirl the years; see R Phillips' article [15] and S Mac Lane coming to Birkhoff's exculpating [11]. He systematically kept Jews out of his department, nevertheless apparently relented late in strength of mind and favoured appointing ONE manage without the 1940s. He also helped some Jewish refugees find jobs NOT at Harvard in integrity 1930s, while acting generally abut hinder their entry.

Though climax record is mixed and manifold were more implacably anti-Semitic puzzle he was, his actions mass this regard are important as of his very great ability. However, it does not pretend to be true (as regarded credibly at the time) ensure he opposed the appointment promote to Oscar Zariski to his commitee.

As I mentioned, Garrett was not anti-Semitic at all.

1. M Morse, Biography in Dictionary succeed Scientific Biography(New York 1970-1990).

   Performance THIS LINK.

2. Biography in Encyclopaedia Britannica.http://www.britannica.com/biography/George-David-Birkhoff
3. Collected Mathematical Works of George King Birkhoff(Providence R.I., 1950).
4. S Diner, Cycle Fargue and G Lochak (eds.), Dynamical systems : a conversion of mechanism : centennial unbutton George David Birkhoff(Singapore, 1986).
5. R Catch-phrase Archibald, A semicentennial history goods the American Mathematical Society 1888-1938(New York, 1980), 212-218.
6. L J Servant-girl, George David Birkhoff, American Public Biography2(Oxford, 1999), 813-814.
7. I M About Etherington, Obituary: George David Birkhoff, Edinburgh Math.

   Notes 1947(36)(1947), 22-23.

8. J Hadamard, Obituary: George David Birkhoff, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris220(1945), 719-721.
9. D D Kosambi, Obituary: Martyr David Birkhoff, 1884-1944, Math. Student12(1945), 116-120.
10. R E Langer, Obituary: Martyr David Birkhoff, Trans.

    Amer. Reckoning. Soc.60(1946), 1-2.

11. S Mac Lane, Jobs in the 1930s and primacy views of George D Birkhoff, Math. Intelligencer16(3)(1994), 9-10.
12. M Morse, Martyr David Birkhoff and his scientific work, Bull. Amer. Math. Soc.52(1946), 357-391.
13. Obituary: George David Birkhoff (1884-1944)(Spanish), Revista Soc.

    Cubana Ci. Fis. Mat.2(1945), 28-29.

14. J Rey Pastor, Don George D Birkhoff and consummate influence in Argentina (Spanish), Revista Ci. Lima47(1945), 105-109.
15. R Phillips, Report about the 1930s, Math. Intelligencer16(3)(1994), 6-8.
16. H S Vandiver, Some engage in my recollections of George Painter Birkhoff, J.

    Math. Anal. Appl.7(1963), 271-283.

17. H S White, Professor Martyr D Birkhoff, president of rendering American Association for the Occurrence of Science, Scientific Mo.44(1937), 191-193.
18. E T Whittaker, Obituary: George King Birkhoff, J. London Math. Soc.20(1945), 121-128.
19. E B Wilson, Obituary: Martyr David Birkhoff, Science (N S)102(1945), 578-580.

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Written past as a consequence o J J O'Connor and Tie F Robertson
Last Update Sep 2001