A History in Sum: 150 Years of Mathematics at Harvard (1825–1975)

Steve Nadis

Published by Harvard University Press 2013

A History in Sum

150 Years of Mathematics at Harvard (1825–1975)

Steve Nadis

https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674726550

Overview
Contents

About this book

In the twentieth century, American mathematicians began to make critical advances in a field previously dominated by Europeans. Harvard's mathematics department was at the center of these developments. A History in Sum is an inviting account of the pioneers who trailblazed a distinctly American tradition of mathematics--in algebraic geometry, complex analysis, and other esoteric subdisciplines that are rarely written about outside of journal articles or advanced textbooks. The heady mathematical concepts that emerged, and the men and women who shaped them, are described here in lively, accessible prose. The story begins in 1825, when a precocious sixteen-year-old freshman, Benjamin Peirce, arrived at the College. He would become the first American to produce original mathematics--an ambition frowned upon in an era when professors largely limited themselves to teaching. Peirce's successors transformed the math department into a world-class research center, attracting to the faculty such luminaries as George David Birkhoff. Influential figures soon flocked to Harvard, some overcoming great challenges to pursue their elected calling. A History in Sum elucidates the contributions of these extraordinary minds and makes clear why the history of the Harvard mathematics department is an essential part of the history of mathematics in America and beyond.

Author / Editor information

Nadis Steve :

Steve Nadis is a freelance science writer living in Cambridge, MA.Yau Shing-Tung :

Shing-Tung Yau, a Fields Medal winner, is William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics and former chair of the Mathematics Department at Harvard University.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Prologue: The Early Days— A “Colledge” Riseth in the Cowyards Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Benjamin Peirce and the Science of “Necessary Conclusions” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	7
2 Osgood, Bôcher, and the Great Awakening in American Mathematics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	32
3. The Dynamical Presence of George David Birkhoff Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	56
4. Analysis and Algebra Meet Topology: Marston Morse, Hassler Whitney, and Saunders Mac Lane Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	86
5. Analysis Most Complex: Lars Ahlfors Gives Function Theory a Geometric Spin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	116
6. The War and Its Aftermath: Andrew Gleason, George Mackey, and an Assignation in Hilbert Space Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
7. The Europeans: Oscar Zariski, Richard Brauer, and Raoul Bott Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	166
Epilogue: Numbers and Beyond Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	204
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	211
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	241

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 280
Illustrations
- Other: 21 halftones

eBook

Published: November 1, 2013
ISBN: 9780674726550