Mathematical Lives: Protagonists of the Twentieth Century From Hilbert to Wiles

Steps forward in mathematics often reverberate in other scientific disciplines, and give rise to innovative conceptual developments or find surprising technological applications. This volume brings to the forefront some of the proponents of the mathematics of the twentieth century, who have put at our disposal new and powerful instruments for investigating the reality around us. The portraits present people who have impressive charisma and wide-ranging cultural interests, who are passionate about defending the importance of their own research, are sensitive to beauty, and attentive to the social and political problems of their times. What we have sought to document is mathematics’ central position in the culture of our day. Space has been made not only for the great mathematicians but also for literary texts, including contributions by two apparent interlopers, Robert Musil and Raymond Queneau, for whom mathematical concepts represented a valuable tool for resolving the struggle between ‘soul and precision.’

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Mathematical Lives: Protagonists of the Twentieth Century From Hilbert to Wiles

Steps forward in mathematics often reverberate in other scientific disciplines, and give rise to innovative conceptual developments or find surprising technological applications. This volume brings to the forefront some of the proponents of the mathematics of the twentieth century, who have put at our disposal new and powerful instruments for investigating the reality around us. The portraits present people who have impressive charisma and wide-ranging cultural interests, who are passionate about defending the importance of their own research, are sensitive to beauty, and attentive to the social and political problems of their times. What we have sought to document is mathematics’ central position in the culture of our day. Space has been made not only for the great mathematicians but also for literary texts, including contributions by two apparent interlopers, Robert Musil and Raymond Queneau, for whom mathematical concepts represented a valuable tool for resolving the struggle between ‘soul and precision.’

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Mathematical Lives: Protagonists of the Twentieth Century From Hilbert to Wiles

Mathematical Lives: Protagonists of the Twentieth Century From Hilbert to Wiles

Mathematical Lives: Protagonists of the Twentieth Century From Hilbert to Wiles

Mathematical Lives: Protagonists of the Twentieth Century From Hilbert to Wiles

Hardcover(2011)

$54.99 
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Overview

Steps forward in mathematics often reverberate in other scientific disciplines, and give rise to innovative conceptual developments or find surprising technological applications. This volume brings to the forefront some of the proponents of the mathematics of the twentieth century, who have put at our disposal new and powerful instruments for investigating the reality around us. The portraits present people who have impressive charisma and wide-ranging cultural interests, who are passionate about defending the importance of their own research, are sensitive to beauty, and attentive to the social and political problems of their times. What we have sought to document is mathematics’ central position in the culture of our day. Space has been made not only for the great mathematicians but also for literary texts, including contributions by two apparent interlopers, Robert Musil and Raymond Queneau, for whom mathematical concepts represented a valuable tool for resolving the struggle between ‘soul and precision.’


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9783642136054
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publication date: 10/11/2010
Edition description: 2011
Pages: 238
Product dimensions: 6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

Hilbert's Problems 1

Hilbert's 23 Problems 9

The Way We Were 11

Guido Castelnuovo 21

Federigo Enriques 22

Francesco Severi 22

Verlaine and Poincaré 25

Bertrand Russell 27

Godfrey H. Hardy 37

Hardy: From A Mathematician's Apology 41

Emmy Noether 43

Carciopholus Romanus 53

Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac 55

Quantum Mechanics 57

The Foundations of Quantum Field Theory 58

Electron Theory 59

The Method of Mathematical Beauty 60

A Monosyllabic Interview 62

The Theoretical Intelligence and the Practical Vision of John von Neumann 63

Kurt Gödel 69

Hommage À Gödel 77

Robert Musil 79

The Country that Went to Ruin Because of a Linguistic Gap 79

Precision and Soul 81

Too Intelligent To Be a Poet 83

Integrals To Grow Lean Again 87

The Life, Death and Miracles of Alan Mathison Turing 91

"Who Is" A. M. Turing 94

Renato Caccioppoli 97

Bruno de Finetti 109

Works by Bruno de Finetti Cited 113

A Committed Mathematician 115

Andrey Nikolaevich Kolmogorov 117

Bourbaki 123

Books Published by Bourbaki 127

The Generations 128

The "Real" Bourbaki 128

The Founding Fathers 128

Writing and Mathematics in the Work of Raymond Queneau 131

From Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau 135

Original Version 135

Numerical Version 135

Geometrical Version 135

Set Theory Version 136

John F. Nash Jr. 137

Nash's Life 137

The Myth of Icarus 139

Game Theory 142

Ennio De Giorgi 147

Perimeter Theory and Hilbert's 19th Problem 147

Minimal Surfaces 149

G-Convergence 150

Equations of Evolution and Problems of Free Discontinuity 151

Foundations of Mathematics 151

Social Commitment and Relations with Other Italian Mathematicians 152

A Personal Recollection 153

Laurent Schwartz 157

"Who Is" Laurent Schwartz 164

René Thom 165

J.L. Borges, The Dream (El sueño) 169

Alexander Grothendieck: Enthusiasm and Creativity 171

Bibliography 180

Gian-Carlo Rota 181

Stephen Smale 191

Michael F. Atiyah 197

The Age of Unification 197

From Algebraic Geometry to K-Theory 198

The Index Theorem 200

Geometry and Physics 204

Conclusion 207

Vladimir Igorevich Arnold 209

Enrico Bombieri 213

Martin Gardner 217

Solution 220

Le Corbusier's Door of Miracles 221

F. William Lawvere 223

Category Theory 228

Andrew Wiles 231

Interview with Andrew Wiles (October 2004) 233

Mathematical Prizes 237

The Fields Medal 237

The Abel Prize 238

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