Enzo Martinelli
Encyclopedia
Enzo Martinelli was an Italian
mathematician
, working in the theory of functions of several complex variables
: he is best known for his work on the theory of integral representations for holomorphic functions of several variables, notably for discovering the Bochner–Martinelli formula
in 1938, and for his work in the theory of multi-dimensional residues.
on the 11 of November 1911: his father was the Director of the local agricultural school. The family then went to Rome
, where his father ended his working career as the Director-general
of the Italian
Ministry of Public Education
. Enzo Martilnelli lived in Rome almost all of his life: the only exception was a period of almost eight years, from 1947 to 1954, when he was in Genova
, working at the local university. In 1946 he married in Rome
Luigia Panella, also her a mathematician
, who later become an associate professor at the faculty
of Engineering
of the Sapienza University of Rome: she was his loving companion for the rest of his life. They had a son, Roberto, and a daughter, Maria Renata and four grandchildren: Maria Renata, following his parents steps, worked as a research fellow
at the faculty
of Engineering
of the Sapienza University of Rome, around the year 2002.
from the Sapienza University of Rome: the title of his thesis
was "Sulle funzioni poligene di una e di due variabili complesse", and his thesis supervisor was Francesco Severi
. From 1934 to 1946 he worked as an assistant professor first to the chair of mathematical analysis
held by Francesco Severi
and then to the chair of geometry
held by Enrico Bompiani. In 1939 he became "Libero Docente" (free professor) of Mathematical analysis
: he taught also courses
on analytic geometry
, algebraic geometry
and topology
as associate professor. In 1946 he won a competitive examination by a judging commission for the chair of "Geometria analitica con elementi di Geometria Proiettiva e Geometria Descrittiva con Disegno", awarded by the University of Genova: the second place and the third place went respectively to Giovanni Dantoni and Guido Zappa
. Martinelli held that chair from 1946 to 1954, teaching also mathematical analysis
, function theory, differential geometry and algebraic analysis as associate professor. In 1954 He went back in Rome
to the chair of Geometry
at the university, holding that chair up to his retirement
, in 1982: he also taught courses on topology
, higher mathematics, higher geometry upon charge. In the years 1968-1969, during a very difficult period for the Sapienza University of Rome, he served the university as the director of the Guido Castelnuovo
Institute of Mathematics.
He attended to various conferences
and meeting
s. In 1943 and in 1946 he was invited in Zurich by Rudolf Fueter, in order to present his researches: later and during all his career he lectured in almost all Italian and foreign universities
.
He was also a member of the UMI Scientific Commission (from 1967 to 1972), of the editorial board
s of the Rendiconti di Matematica e delle Sue Applicazioni (from 1955 to 1992) and of the Annali di Matematica Pura ed Applicata (from 1965 to 1999).
was already evident when he was only a lyceum
student
. While still attending the university
, he won the Cotronei Foundation prize, and after earning his laurea
, the Beltrami Foundation prize, the Fubini and Torelli prizes (this last one jointly with Pietro Buzano) and the Prize for Mathematical Sciences of the Ministry of National Education: this last one was awarded him in 1943, and the judging commission consisted of Francesco Severi
(as the president
of the commission), Ugo Amaldi and Antonio Signorini
(as the supervisor of the commission).
In 1948 he was elected Corresponding Member of the Accademia Ligure di Scienze e Lettere: in 1961 and in 1977 he was elected respectively Corresponding and Full Member
of the Accademia dei Lincei
, and from 1982 to 1985 he was "Professore Linceo". Finally, in 1980 he was elected Corresponding Member of the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino and then, in 1994, Full Member
. Also, in 1986, the Sapienza University of Rome, to which Enzo Martinelli was particularly tied for all his life, awarded him the title of professor emeritus.
gifted by a caring attention, politeness, generosity and the rare ability to listen to colleagues and student
s alike: and remember hours lasting discussions on mathematical research and his disposability to give help and advice to whom it requested. Particularly remembers that, when he was his doctoral student at the University of Genova, Martinelli was not able to meet him during the week, therefore they meet every Sunday in the afternoon at Martinelli's home: during one of this meetings, lasted a little more than two hours, he taught him Élie Cartan
's theory of exterior differential forms, giving him a powerful mathematical tool he used successfully in his first researches. Also Gaetano Fichera
remembers a helpful discussion with Martinelli in his last lesson . Having discovered a theory of exterior differential forms while he was kept prisoner in Teramo
jail during wartime, when he was back in Rome
in 1945 he exposed his discovery to Martinelli who, very tactfully, informed him that the idea was already been developed by Élie Cartan
and Georges de Rham
.
A gifted teacher himself, he admired and respected very much his own teachers: this was quite common for Italian
scientist
s of the same generation and the preceding ones, who were advised in the early days of their scientific career by some of the best Italian scientists ever. As already remembered, his doctoral advisor
was Francesco Severi
, but other great Italian
mathematician
s where among his teachers: Guido Castelnuovo
, Federigo Enriques
, Enrico Bompiani, Tullio Levi-Civita
Mauro Picone
and Antonio Signorini
were all working at the Sapienza University of Rome when Enzo Martinelli was a student there. describes the activity of the institute of mathematics during that period as extremely stimulating.
Other features of his temperament were a deep sense of justice
and legality
: Martinelli was very careful in performing his duties as a citizen and as a university
professor
, but he was also ready to fight for his own rights and for the rights of higher education. Concerned by the growing interference of bureaucracy
in university education, already in the fifties he was heard by complaining that: "In Italia mancano le menti semplificatrici".
His temperament was also free from every kind of authoritarianism
: when, during the protests of 1968
, many Italian
newspaper
s depicted very emphatically the Italian university scientific community as authoritarian, all the assistant professors and student
s of Martinelli (and perhaps Martinelli himself) were a bit perplexed. He is also remembered for his rare intellectual honesty and his rigorous rationality: this last aspect of his personality is perceived by Rizza
as a cause of troubles in the relationships between him and many people that "believed in everything except the cold light of reason
", during the protests of 1968
, when he was the director of the Guido Castelnuovo
Institute of Mathematics.
s, textbook
s and various other publications. According to , his research personality can be described by two words: "enthusiasm
" and "dissatisfaction": enthusiasm is meant as his steady interest in mathematics
at all levels, while dissatisfaction is meant as the desire to going deeper into all mathematical problems investigated, without stopping at first success and expressing all the results in a simple, elegant and essential form.
s on geometry
, topology
, complex analysis
testify his didactic activity. Those books appear as models of clarity and mathematical rigour, and also offer insights on more complex theories and problems to the clever student: indeed, it was one of Martinelli's concerns to teach mathematics showing its lively development and its attractiveness in term of interesting difficult problems offered, in order that no gifted student would abandon the idea to do mathematical research.
and Enzo Martinelli fields of research.. The biographical entry about Enzo Martinelli the Enciclopedia Treccani.. The proceedings of an international conference in honour of Enzo Martinelli organized by M. Bruni, G. Fichera
, S. Marchiafava, G. B. Rizza
e F. Succi, published in the Rivista di Matematica della Università di Parma journal: the papers and are taken from them.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
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....
, working in the theory of functions of several complex variables
Several complex variables
The theory of functions of several complex variables is the branch of mathematics dealing with functionson the space Cn of n-tuples of complex numbers...
: he is best known for his work on the theory of integral representations for holomorphic functions of several variables, notably for discovering the Bochner–Martinelli formula
Bochner–Martinelli formula
In mathematics, the Bochner–Martinelli formula is a generalization of the Cauchy integral formula to functions of several complex variables, introduced by and .-Bochner–Martinelli kernel:...
in 1938, and for his work in the theory of multi-dimensional residues.
Life
He was born in PesciaPescia
Pescia is an Italian city in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy.It is located in a central zone between the cities Lucca and Florence, on the banks of the homonymous river.-History:...
on the 11 of November 1911: his father was the Director of the local agricultural school. The family then went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where his father ended his working career as the Director-general
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Ministry of Public Education
Ministry of Public Education (Italy)
The Ministry of Public Education was was the organ of the Italian Republic devoted to the administration of the national education system...
. Enzo Martilnelli lived in Rome almost all of his life: the only exception was a period of almost eight years, from 1947 to 1954, when he was in Genova
Génova
Génova may refer to:* Spanish spelling of the city of Genoa, Italy* Génova, Quindío, a municipality in the department of Quindío, Colombia* Génova, Quetzaltenango, a municipality in the department of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala...
, working at the local university. In 1946 he married in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
Luigia Panella, also her a 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....
, who later become an associate professor at the faculty
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
of Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
of the Sapienza University of Rome: she was his loving companion for the rest of his life. They had a son, Roberto, and a daughter, Maria Renata and four grandchildren: Maria Renata, following his parents steps, worked as a research fellow
Research fellow
The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
at the faculty
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
of Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
of the Sapienza University of Rome, around the year 2002.
Academic career
In 1933 he earned his laureaLaurea
In Italy, the laurea is the main post-secondary academic degree.-Reforms due to the Bologna process:Spurred by the Bologna process, a major reform was instituted in 1999 to introduce easier university degrees comparable to the bachelors...
from the Sapienza University of Rome: the title of his thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
was "Sulle funzioni poligene di una e di due variabili complesse", and his thesis supervisor was Francesco Severi
Francesco Severi
Francesco Severi was an Italian mathematician.Severi was born in Arezzo, Italy. He is famous for his contributions to algebraic geometry and the theory of functions of several complex variables. He became the effective leader of the Italian school of algebraic geometry...
. From 1934 to 1946 he worked as an assistant professor first to the chair of mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis, which mathematicians refer to simply as analysis, has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of infinitesimal calculus. It is a branch of pure mathematics that includes the theories of differentiation, integration and measure, limits, infinite series, and analytic functions...
held by Francesco Severi
Francesco Severi
Francesco Severi was an Italian mathematician.Severi was born in Arezzo, Italy. He is famous for his contributions to algebraic geometry and the theory of functions of several complex variables. He became the effective leader of the Italian school of algebraic geometry...
and then to the chair of geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
held by Enrico Bompiani. In 1939 he became "Libero Docente" (free professor) of Mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis, which mathematicians refer to simply as analysis, has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of infinitesimal calculus. It is a branch of pure mathematics that includes the theories of differentiation, integration and measure, limits, infinite series, and analytic functions...
: he taught also courses
Course (education)
The very broad dictionary meaning of the word course is the act or action of moving in a path from point to point . There are multiple meanings for this word, some of which include: general line of orientation, a mode of action, part of a meal, a mode of action, and many more. This article focuses...
on analytic geometry
Analytic geometry
Analytic geometry, or analytical geometry has two different meanings in mathematics. The modern and advanced meaning refers to the geometry of analytic varieties...
, algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry is a branch of mathematics which combines techniques of abstract algebra, especially commutative algebra, with the language and the problems of geometry. It occupies a central place in modern mathematics and has multiple conceptual connections with such diverse fields as complex...
and topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
as associate professor. In 1946 he won a competitive examination by a judging commission for the chair of "Geometria analitica con elementi di Geometria Proiettiva e Geometria Descrittiva con Disegno", awarded by the University of Genova: the second place and the third place went respectively to Giovanni Dantoni and Guido Zappa
Guido Zappa
Guido Zappa is an Italian mathematician and a noted group theorist: his other main research interests are geometry and complex analysis in one and several variables, and also the history of mathematics. Zappa is particularly known for some examples of algebraic curves that strongly influenced the...
. Martinelli held that chair from 1946 to 1954, teaching also mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis, which mathematicians refer to simply as analysis, has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of infinitesimal calculus. It is a branch of pure mathematics that includes the theories of differentiation, integration and measure, limits, infinite series, and analytic functions...
, function theory, differential geometry and algebraic analysis as associate professor. In 1954 He went back in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to the chair of Geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
at the university, holding that chair up to his retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
, in 1982: he also taught courses on topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
, higher mathematics, higher geometry upon charge. In the years 1968-1969, during a very difficult period for the Sapienza University of Rome, he served the university as the director of the Guido Castelnuovo
Guido Castelnuovo
Guido Castelnuovo was an Italian mathematician. His father, Enrico Castelnuovo, was a novelist and campaigner for the unification of Italy...
Institute of Mathematics.
He attended to various conferences
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
and meeting
Meeting
In a meeting, two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal setting.- Definitions :An act or process of coming together as an assembly for a common purpose....
s. In 1943 and in 1946 he was invited in Zurich by Rudolf Fueter, in order to present his researches: later and during all his career he lectured in almost all Italian and foreign universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
.
He was also a member of the UMI Scientific Commission (from 1967 to 1972), of the editorial board
Editorial board
The editorial board is a group of people, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take.- Board makeup :...
s of the Rendiconti di Matematica e delle Sue Applicazioni (from 1955 to 1992) and of the Annali di Matematica Pura ed Applicata (from 1965 to 1999).
Honours
According to , Enzo's talent for mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
was already evident when he was only a lyceum
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies between countries; usually it is a type of secondary school.-History:...
student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
. While still attending the university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, he won the Cotronei Foundation prize, and after earning his laurea
Laurea
In Italy, the laurea is the main post-secondary academic degree.-Reforms due to the Bologna process:Spurred by the Bologna process, a major reform was instituted in 1999 to introduce easier university degrees comparable to the bachelors...
, the Beltrami Foundation prize, the Fubini and Torelli prizes (this last one jointly with Pietro Buzano) and the Prize for Mathematical Sciences of the Ministry of National Education: this last one was awarded him in 1943, and the judging commission consisted of Francesco Severi
Francesco Severi
Francesco Severi was an Italian mathematician.Severi was born in Arezzo, Italy. He is famous for his contributions to algebraic geometry and the theory of functions of several complex variables. He became the effective leader of the Italian school of algebraic geometry...
(as the president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the commission), Ugo Amaldi and Antonio Signorini
Antonio Signorini
- Research activity :His scientific production const of more than 114 works, being papers, monographs and textbooks, 17 of which have been collected in his "Opere Scelte".- Teaching activity :...
(as the supervisor of the commission).
In 1948 he was elected Corresponding Member of the Accademia Ligure di Scienze e Lettere: in 1961 and in 1977 he was elected respectively Corresponding and Full Member
Academician
The title Academician denotes a Full Member of an art, literary, or scientific academy.In many countries, it is an honorary title. There also exists a lower-rank title, variously translated Corresponding Member or Associate Member, .-Eastern Europe and China:"Academician" may also be a functional...
of the Accademia dei Lincei
Accademia dei Lincei
The Accademia dei Lincei, , is an Italian science academy, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy....
, and from 1982 to 1985 he was "Professore Linceo". Finally, in 1980 he was elected Corresponding Member of the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino and then, in 1994, Full Member
Academician
The title Academician denotes a Full Member of an art, literary, or scientific academy.In many countries, it is an honorary title. There also exists a lower-rank title, variously translated Corresponding Member or Associate Member, .-Eastern Europe and China:"Academician" may also be a functional...
. Also, in 1986, the Sapienza University of Rome, to which Enzo Martinelli was particularly tied for all his life, awarded him the title of professor emeritus.
Tracts of his personality
He is unanimously remembered as a real gentlemanGentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
gifted by a caring attention, politeness, generosity and the rare ability to listen to colleagues and student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s alike: and remember hours lasting discussions on mathematical research and his disposability to give help and advice to whom it requested. Particularly remembers that, when he was his doctoral student at the University of Genova, Martinelli was not able to meet him during the week, therefore they meet every Sunday in the afternoon at Martinelli's home: during one of this meetings, lasted a little more than two hours, he taught him Élie Cartan
Élie Cartan
Élie Joseph Cartan was an influential French mathematician, who did fundamental work in the theory of Lie groups and their geometric applications...
's theory of exterior differential forms, giving him a powerful mathematical tool he used successfully in his first researches. Also Gaetano Fichera
Gaetano Fichera
Gaetano Fichera was an Italian mathematician, working in mathematical analysis, linear elasticity, partial differential equations and several complex variables...
remembers a helpful discussion with Martinelli in his last lesson . Having discovered a theory of exterior differential forms while he was kept prisoner in Teramo
Teramo
Teramo is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo.The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines and the Adriatic coast...
jail during wartime, when he was back in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1945 he exposed his discovery to Martinelli who, very tactfully, informed him that the idea was already been developed by Élie Cartan
Élie Cartan
Élie Joseph Cartan was an influential French mathematician, who did fundamental work in the theory of Lie groups and their geometric applications...
and Georges de Rham
Georges de Rham
Georges de Rham was a Swiss mathematician, known for his contributions to differential topology.He studied at the University of Lausanne and then in Paris for a doctorate, becoming a lecturer in Lausanne in 1931; where he held positions until retirement in 1971; he held positions in Geneva in...
.
A gifted teacher himself, he admired and respected very much his own teachers: this was quite common for Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s of the same generation and the preceding ones, who were advised in the early days of their scientific career by some of the best Italian scientists ever. As already remembered, his doctoral advisor
Doctoral advisor
A doctoral advisor is an advanced member of a university faculty whose role is to guide a graduate student who is a candidate for a doctorate degree, helping them select coursework, as well as shaping, refining and directing the students' choice of sub-discipline...
was Francesco Severi
Francesco Severi
Francesco Severi was an Italian mathematician.Severi was born in Arezzo, Italy. He is famous for his contributions to algebraic geometry and the theory of functions of several complex variables. He became the effective leader of the Italian school of algebraic geometry...
, but other great Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
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....
s where among his teachers: Guido Castelnuovo
Guido Castelnuovo
Guido Castelnuovo was an Italian mathematician. His father, Enrico Castelnuovo, was a novelist and campaigner for the unification of Italy...
, Federigo Enriques
Federigo Enriques
Federigo Enriques was an Italian mathematician, now known principally as the first to give a classification of algebraic surfaces in birational geometry, and other contributions in algebraic geometry....
, Enrico Bompiani, Tullio Levi-Civita
Tullio Levi-Civita
Tullio Levi-Civita, FRS was an Italian mathematician, most famous for his work on absolute differential calculus and its applications to the theory of relativity, but who also made significant contributions in other areas. He was a pupil of Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, the inventor of tensor calculus...
Mauro Picone
Mauro Picone
Mauro Picone was an Italian mathematician. He is known for the Picone identity, for the Sturm-Picone comparison theorem and for being the founder of the Istituto Nazionale per le Applicazioni del Calcolo, presently named after him...
and Antonio Signorini
Antonio Signorini
- Research activity :His scientific production const of more than 114 works, being papers, monographs and textbooks, 17 of which have been collected in his "Opere Scelte".- Teaching activity :...
were all working at the Sapienza University of Rome when Enzo Martinelli was a student there. describes the activity of the institute of mathematics during that period as extremely stimulating.
Other features of his temperament were a deep sense of justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
and legality
Legality
The principle of legality is the legal ideal that requires all law to be clear, ascertainable and non-retrospective. It requires decision makers to resolve disputes by applying legal rules that have been declared beforehand, and not to alter the legal situation retrospectively by discretionary...
: Martinelli was very careful in performing his duties as a citizen and as a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
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...
, but he was also ready to fight for his own rights and for the rights of higher education. Concerned by the growing interference of bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
in university education, already in the fifties he was heard by complaining that: "In Italia mancano le menti semplificatrici".
His temperament was also free from every kind of authoritarianism
Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a form of social organization characterized by submission to authority. It is usually opposed to individualism and democracy...
: when, during the protests of 1968
Protests of 1968
The protests of 1968 consisted of a worldwide series of protests, largely participated in by students and workers.-Background:Background speculations of overall causality vary about the political protests centering on the year 1968. Some argue that protests could be attributed to the social changes...
, many Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s depicted very emphatically the Italian university scientific community as authoritarian, all the assistant professors and student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s of Martinelli (and perhaps Martinelli himself) were a bit perplexed. He is also remembered for his rare intellectual honesty and his rigorous rationality: this last aspect of his personality is perceived by Rizza
Giovanni Battista Rizza
Giovanni Battista Rizza is an Italian mathematician, working in complex analysis of several variables and in differential geometry: he is best known for his contribution to the theory of pluriharmonic functions and for the introduction of the now called Rizza manifolds.-Honors:In 1954 he was...
as a cause of troubles in the relationships between him and many people that "believed in everything except the cold light of reason
Reason
Reason is a term that refers to the capacity human beings have to make sense of things, to establish and verify facts, and to change or justify practices, institutions, and beliefs. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, ...
", during the protests of 1968
Protests of 1968
The protests of 1968 consisted of a worldwide series of protests, largely participated in by students and workers.-Background:Background speculations of overall causality vary about the political protests centering on the year 1968. Some argue that protests could be attributed to the social changes...
, when he was the director of the Guido Castelnuovo
Guido Castelnuovo
Guido Castelnuovo was an Italian mathematician. His father, Enrico Castelnuovo, was a novelist and campaigner for the unification of Italy...
Institute of Mathematics.
Research activity
He is the author of more than 50 research works, the first of which was published when Martinelli still was a undergraduate student: precisely, his research production consist of 47 papers and 30 between treatiseTreatise
A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject.-Noteworthy treatises:...
s, textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
s and various other publications. According to , his research personality can be described by two words: "enthusiasm
Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm originally meant inspiration or possession by a divine afflatus or by the presence of a god. Johnson's Dictionary, the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language, defines enthusiasm as "a vain belief of private revelation; a vain confidence of divine favour or...
" and "dissatisfaction": enthusiasm is meant as his steady interest in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at all levels, while dissatisfaction is meant as the desire to going deeper into all mathematical problems investigated, without stopping at first success and expressing all the results in a simple, elegant and essential form.
Teaching activity
The aspects of his personality described before and his deep professional commitment also made him a great teacher: at least fifteen textbookTextbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
s on geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
, complex analysis
Complex analysis
Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates functions of complex numbers. It is useful in many branches of mathematics, including number theory and applied mathematics; as well as in physics,...
testify his didactic activity. Those books appear as models of clarity and mathematical rigour, and also offer insights on more complex theories and problems to the clever student: indeed, it was one of Martinelli's concerns to teach mathematics showing its lively development and its attractiveness in term of interesting difficult problems offered, in order that no gifted student would abandon the idea to do mathematical research.
See also
- Bochner–Martinelli formulaBochner–Martinelli formulaIn mathematics, the Bochner–Martinelli formula is a generalization of the Cauchy integral formula to functions of several complex variables, introduced by and .-Bochner–Martinelli kernel:...
- Several complex variablesSeveral complex variablesThe theory of functions of several complex variables is the branch of mathematics dealing with functionson the space Cn of n-tuples of complex numbers...
- Pluriharmonic functionPluriharmonic functionIn mathematics, precisely in the theory of functions of several complex variables, a pluriharmonic function is a real valued function which is locally the real part of a holomorphic function of several complex variables. Sometimes a such function is referred as n-harmonic function, where n ≥ 2 is...
- Residue theoremResidue theoremThe residue theorem, sometimes called Cauchy's Residue Theorem, in complex analysis is a powerful tool to evaluate line integrals of analytic functions over closed curves and can often be used to compute real integrals as well. It generalizes the Cauchy integral theorem and Cauchy's integral formula...
External links
. The electronic proceedings of a conference on topics belonging to or related to André LichnerowiczAndré Lichnerowicz
André Lichnerowicz was a noted French differential geometer and mathematical physicist of Polish descent.-Biography:...
and Enzo Martinelli fields of research.. The biographical entry about Enzo Martinelli the Enciclopedia Treccani.. The proceedings of an international conference in honour of Enzo Martinelli organized by M. Bruni, G. Fichera
Gaetano Fichera
Gaetano Fichera was an Italian mathematician, working in mathematical analysis, linear elasticity, partial differential equations and several complex variables...
, S. Marchiafava, G. B. Rizza
Giovanni Battista Rizza
Giovanni Battista Rizza is an Italian mathematician, working in complex analysis of several variables and in differential geometry: he is best known for his contribution to the theory of pluriharmonic functions and for the introduction of the now called Rizza manifolds.-Honors:In 1954 he was...
e F. Succi, published in the Rivista di Matematica della Università di Parma journal: the papers and are taken from them.