Albert Victor Bäcklund
Encyclopedia
Albert Victor Bäcklund was a Swedish
mathematician
and physicist
. He was a professor
at Lund University
and its rector
from 1907 to 1909.
He was born in Malmöhus County, now Skåne County
, in southern Sweden and became a student at the nearby University of Lund in 1861. In 1864 he started to work for the observatory
, and received his Ph.D. in 1868 working on methods to obtain the latitude
of a place by astronomical observations. He was awarded the title of associate professor in Mechanics and Mathematical Physics
in 1878, and elected Fellow of the Swedish Academy of Science in 1888. In 1897 he became a full professor.
In 1874 he was awarded a travel grant to study abroad for six months. He went to the universities at Leipzig
and Erlangen
to work with Felix Klein
and Ferdinand von Lindemann
.
His most important work was in the field of transformations pioneered by Sophus Lie
. He improved greatly the understanding of contact transformations and introduced a new second class transformation, now known as auto-Bäcklund transformation
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
. He was a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
and its rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
from 1907 to 1909.
He was born in Malmöhus County, now Skåne County
Skåne County
Skåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...
, in southern Sweden and became a student at the nearby University of Lund in 1861. In 1864 he started to work for the observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
, and received his Ph.D. in 1868 working on methods to obtain the latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
of a place by astronomical observations. He was awarded the title of associate professor in Mechanics and Mathematical Physics
Mathematical physics
Mathematical physics refers to development of mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The Journal of Mathematical Physics defines this area as: "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods suitable for such applications and...
in 1878, and elected Fellow of the Swedish Academy of Science in 1888. In 1897 he became a full professor.
In 1874 he was awarded a travel grant to study abroad for six months. He went to the universities at Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and Erlangen
Erlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
to work with Felix Klein
Felix Klein
Christian Felix Klein was a German mathematician, known for his work in group theory, function theory, non-Euclidean geometry, and on the connections between geometry and group theory...
and Ferdinand von Lindemann
Ferdinand von Lindemann
Carl Louis Ferdinand von Lindemann was a German mathematician, noted for his proof, published in 1882, that π is a transcendental number, i.e., it is not a root of any polynomial with rational coefficients....
.
His most important work was in the field of transformations pioneered by Sophus Lie
Sophus Lie
Marius Sophus Lie was a Norwegian mathematician. He largely created the theory of continuous symmetry, and applied it to the study of geometry and differential equations.- Biography :...
. He improved greatly the understanding of contact transformations and introduced a new second class transformation, now known as auto-Bäcklund transformation
Bäcklund transform
In mathematics, Bäcklund transforms or Bäcklund transformations relate partial differential equations and their solutions. They are an important tool in soliton theory and integrable systems...
.
External links
- Short bio article Bäcklund Nordisk familjebokNordisk familjebokNordisk familjebok is a Swedish encyclopedia, published between 1876 and 1957.- History :The first edition was published in 20 volumes between 1876 and 1899. The first edition is known as the "Iðunn edition" because of the picture of Iðunn on the cover...