Bertram Huppert
Encyclopedia
Bertram Huppert is a German
mathematician
specializing in group theory
and the representation theory of finite groups
. His Endliche Gruppen (finite group
s) is an influential textbook in group theory, and he has over 50 doctoral descendants.
from 1934 until 1945. In 1950, he wrote his diploma thesis in mathematics at the University of Mainz. The thesis discussed "nicht fortsetzbare Potenzreihen" (discontinuous power series), and was written under the direction of Helmut Wielandt
.
When Wielandt moved to the University of Tübingen in April 1951, Huppert followed him later in the year, and gained his doctorate (as Wielandt's first doctoral student) with the work "Produkte von paarweise vertauschbaren zyklischen Gruppen" (products of pairwise permutable cyclic group
s), in which he showed, among other things, that such groups were supersoluble. This was the first of more than forty further scientific works, not including his books and monograph
s. The focus of the dissertation was very close to Wielandt's interests at the time, whose 1951 work shows that the product of pairwise permutable nilpotent group
s is solvable
.
Huppert spent the years 1963/64 as a visiting professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
and at the California Institute of Technology
(CalTech) in Pasadena
. In January 1965, he became a professor of pure mathematics at the University of Mainz, where he later became a professor emeritus in 1994. He put a lot of effort into building up the Mainz group theory
and abstract algebra
research groups.
Following an assignment, he wrote a monumental standard text in the theory of finite groups, Endliche Gruppen I. The group around Wolfgang Gaschütz in Kiel
provided important contributions in discussions to that volume. Volumes II and III appeared 14 years later in English with co-author Norman Blackburn.
In 1984, Huppert founded, together with Gerhard Michler, the first Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
priority programme in Mathematics at the German universities of Aachen
, Bielefeld, Essen
and Mainz.
From 1964 to 1985, Huppert was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Algebra
. Together with Wolfgang Gaschütz and Karl W. Grünberg, he organised Oberwolfach
workshops on group theory over many years, and with Michler the Oberwolfach workshop on representation theory.
He was a founding member of the Institute of Experimental Mathematics of the University of Essen and is a member of the Akademie gemeinnütziger Wissenschaften zu Erfurt.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
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....
specializing in group theory
Group theory
In mathematics and abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as groups.The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as rings, fields, and vector spaces can all be seen as groups endowed with additional operations and...
and the representation theory of finite groups
Representation theory of finite groups
In mathematics, representation theory is a technique for analyzing abstract groups in terms of groups of linear transformations. See the article on group representations for an introduction...
. His Endliche Gruppen (finite group
Finite group
In mathematics and abstract algebra, a finite group is a group whose underlying set G has finitely many elements. During the twentieth century, mathematicians investigated certain aspects of the theory of finite groups in great depth, especially the local theory of finite groups, and the theory of...
s) is an influential textbook in group theory, and he has over 50 doctoral descendants.
Education
Bertram Huppert went to school in BonnBonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
from 1934 until 1945. In 1950, he wrote his diploma thesis in mathematics at the University of Mainz. The thesis discussed "nicht fortsetzbare Potenzreihen" (discontinuous power series), and was written under the direction of Helmut Wielandt
Helmut Wielandt
thumb|right|Helmut WielandtHelmut Wielandt was a German mathematician who worked on permutation groups.- References:...
.
When Wielandt moved to the University of Tübingen in April 1951, Huppert followed him later in the year, and gained his doctorate (as Wielandt's first doctoral student) with the work "Produkte von paarweise vertauschbaren zyklischen Gruppen" (products of pairwise permutable cyclic group
Cyclic group
In group theory, a cyclic group is a group that can be generated by a single element, in the sense that the group has an element g such that, when written multiplicatively, every element of the group is a power of g .-Definition:A group G is called cyclic if there exists an element g...
s), in which he showed, among other things, that such groups were supersoluble. This was the first of more than forty further scientific works, not including his books and monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
s. The focus of the dissertation was very close to Wielandt's interests at the time, whose 1951 work shows that the product of pairwise permutable nilpotent group
Nilpotent group
In mathematics, more specifically in the field of group theory, a nilpotent group is a group that is "almost abelian". This idea is motivated by the fact that nilpotent groups are solvable, and for finite nilpotent groups, two elements having relatively prime orders must commute...
s is solvable
Solvable group
In mathematics, more specifically in the field of group theory, a solvable group is a group that can be constructed from abelian groups using extensions...
.
Academic career
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
and at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
(CalTech) in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. In January 1965, he became a professor of pure mathematics at the University of Mainz, where he later became a professor emeritus in 1994. He put a lot of effort into building up the Mainz group theory
Group theory
In mathematics and abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as groups.The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as rings, fields, and vector spaces can all be seen as groups endowed with additional operations and...
and abstract algebra
Abstract algebra
Abstract algebra is the subject area of mathematics that studies algebraic structures, such as groups, rings, fields, modules, vector spaces, and algebras...
research groups.
Following an assignment, he wrote a monumental standard text in the theory of finite groups, Endliche Gruppen I. The group around Wolfgang Gaschütz in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
provided important contributions in discussions to that volume. Volumes II and III appeared 14 years later in English with co-author Norman Blackburn.
In 1984, Huppert founded, together with Gerhard Michler, the first Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
priority programme in Mathematics at the German universities of Aachen
RWTH Aachen
RWTH Aachen University is a research university located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with roughly 33,000 students enrolled in 101 study programs....
, Bielefeld, Essen
University of Duisburg-Essen
The University Duisburg-Essen is a public university in Duisburg and Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and a member of the new founded University Alliance Metropolis Ruhr....
and Mainz.
From 1964 to 1985, Huppert was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Algebra
Journal of Algebra
Journal of Algebra is a leading international mathematical research journal in algebra. An imprint of Academic Press, it is presently published by Elsevier. Journal of Algebra was founded by Graham Higman, who was its editor from 1964 to 1984. From 1985 until 2000, Walter Feit served as its...
. Together with Wolfgang Gaschütz and Karl W. Grünberg, he organised Oberwolfach
Mathematical Research Institute of Oberwolfach
The Mathematical Research Institute of Oberwolfach in Oberwolfach, Germany, was founded by mathematician Wilhelm Süss in 1944...
workshops on group theory over many years, and with Michler the Oberwolfach workshop on representation theory.
He was a founding member of the Institute of Experimental Mathematics of the University of Essen and is a member of the Akademie gemeinnütziger Wissenschaften zu Erfurt.
Selected bibliography
- Endliche Gruppen (Springer, 1967) ISBN 978-3540038252
- Finite Groups II, III (with N. Blackburn, Springer, 1981/82) ISBN 978-0387106328 und ISBN 978-3540106333
- Stochastische Matrizen (with F.J. Fritz, W.Willems, Springer, 1979) ISBN 978-3540091264
- Angewandte Lineare Algebra (de Gruyter, 1990), ISBN 978-3110121070
- Character Theory of Finite Groups (de Gruyter, 1998), ISBN 978-3110154214
- Lineare Algebra (with Wolfgang Willems)(Teubner, 2006), ISBN 978-3835100893