Kurt Reidemeister
Encyclopedia
Kurt Werner Friedrich Reidemeister (October 13, 1893 – July 8, 1971) was a mathematician
born in Braunschweig
(Brunswick), Germany
.
He received his doctorate in 1921 with a thesis
in algebraic number theory
at the University of Hamburg
under the supervision of Erich Hecke
. In 1923 he was appointed assistant professor at the University of Vienna
. While there he became familiar with the work of Hans Hahn
and Wilhelm Wirtinger
. In 1925 he became full professor at University of Königsberg
, where he stayed until 1933, when he was forced to leave because of his opposition of the Nazis
.
Reidemeister's interests were mainly in combinatorial group theory
, combinatorial topology
, geometric group theory
, and the foundations of geometry
. His books include Knoten und Gruppen (1926), Einführung in die kombinatorische Topologie (1932), and Knotentheorie (1932). He was the brother of Marie Neurath
.
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....
born in Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
(Brunswick), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
He received his doctorate in 1921 with a 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...
in algebraic number theory
Algebraic number theory
Algebraic number theory is a major branch of number theory which studies algebraic structures related to algebraic integers. This is generally accomplished by considering a ring of algebraic integers O in an algebraic number field K/Q, and studying their algebraic properties such as factorization,...
at the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
under the supervision of Erich Hecke
Erich Hecke
Erich Hecke was a German mathematician. He obtained his doctorate in Göttingen under the supervision of David Hilbert. Kurt Reidemeister and Heinrich Behnke were among his students....
. In 1923 he was appointed assistant professor at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
. While there he became familiar with the work of Hans Hahn
Hans Hahn
Hans Hahn was an Austrian mathematician who made contributions to functional analysis, topology, set theory, the calculus of variations, real analysis, and order theory.-Biography:...
and Wilhelm Wirtinger
Wilhelm Wirtinger
Wilhelm Wirtinger was an Austrian mathematician, working in complex analysis, geometry, algebra, number theory, Lie groups and knot theory.-Biography:...
. In 1925 he became full professor at University of Königsberg
University of Königsberg
The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....
, where he stayed until 1933, when he was forced to leave because of his opposition of the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
.
Reidemeister's interests were mainly in combinatorial group theory
Combinatorial group theory
In mathematics, combinatorial group theory is the theory of free groups, and the concept of a presentation of a group by generators and relations...
, combinatorial topology
Combinatorial topology
In mathematics, combinatorial topology was an older name for algebraic topology, dating from the time when topological invariants of spaces were regarded as derived from combinatorial decompositions such as simplicial complexes...
, geometric group theory
Geometric group theory
Geometric group theory is an area in mathematics devoted to the study of finitely generated groups via exploring the connections between algebraic properties of such groups and topological and geometric properties of spaces on which these groups act .Another important...
, and the foundations 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 ....
. His books include Knoten und Gruppen (1926), Einführung in die kombinatorische Topologie (1932), and Knotentheorie (1932). He was the brother of Marie Neurath
Marie Neurath
Marie Neurath, born Marie Reidemeister , was a member of the team that developed the Vienna Method of Pictorial Statistics , which she later renamed Isotype. She was also a prolific author and designer of educational books for younger readers. Her brother was mathematician Kurt Reidemeister...
.
See also
- Reidemeister moves
- Reidemeister-Singer Theorem
- Reidemeister torsion
- Reidemeister trace
- Reidemeister number