Ludwig Schlesinger
Encyclopedia
Ludwig Schlesinger was a German
mathematician
known for the research in the field of linear differential equation
s.
and later studied physics and mathematics in Heidelberg
and Berlin
. In 1887 he received his PhD (Über lineare homogene Differentialgleichungen vierter Ordnung, zwischen deren Integralen homogene Relationen höheren als ersten Grades bestehen.) His thesis advisors were Lazarus Immanuel Fuchs and Leopold Kronecker
. In 1889 he became an associate professor at Berlin; in 1897 an invited professor in Bonn
and in the same year, a full professor at the University of Kolozsvár, Hungary
(now Cluj, Romania). From 1911 he was professor at the University of Giessen
, where he taught until 1930. In 1933 he was forced to retire by the Nazis. He died shortly afterwards.
Schlesinger was a historian of science. He wrote an article on the function theory of Carl Friedrich Gauss
and translated René Descartes
' La Géométrie
into German (1894). He was one of the organizers of the celebrations for the hundredth anniversary of János Batsányi
and from 1904 to 1909 collected the works of his teacher R. Fuchs Lazarus Fuchs, who was also his father-in-law. In 1902 he became a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
. In 1909 he received the Lobachevsky Prize.
From 1929 until his death he was co-editor of Crelle's Journal
.
Like his teacher Fuchs, he worked primarily on linear ordinary differential equations. His two-volume Handbuch der Theorie der Linearen Differentialgleichungen was published from 1895 to 1898 in Teubner in Leipzig (Vol.2 in two parts). He also published Einführung in die Theorie der gewöhnlichen Differentialgleichungen auf funktionentheoretischer Grundlage (Auflage, 1922), Vorlesungen über lineare Differentialgleichungen (1908) and Automorphe Funktionen (Gruyter, 1924). In 1909 he wrote a long report for the annual report of the German Mathematical Society on the history of linear differential equations since 1865. He also studied differential geometry, and wrote a book of lectures on Einstein's general relativity theory.
Today, his best known work is Über eine Klasse von Differentialsystemen beliebiger Ordnung mit festen kritischen Punkten (Crelle's Journal, 1912). There he considered the problem of isomonodromy deformations for a certain matrix Fuchsian equation; this is a special case of Hilbert's 21st Problem (existence of differential equations with prescribed monodromy). The paper introduced what are today called Schlesinger transformations and Schlesinger equations.
.
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....
known for the research in the field of linear differential equation
Linear differential equation
Linear differential equations are of the formwhere the differential operator L is a linear operator, y is the unknown function , and the right hand side ƒ is a given function of the same nature as y...
s.
Biography
Schlesinger attended the high school in BratislavaBratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
and later studied physics and mathematics in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In 1887 he received his PhD (Über lineare homogene Differentialgleichungen vierter Ordnung, zwischen deren Integralen homogene Relationen höheren als ersten Grades bestehen.) His thesis advisors were Lazarus Immanuel Fuchs and Leopold Kronecker
Leopold Kronecker
Leopold Kronecker was a German mathematician who worked on number theory and algebra.He criticized Cantor's work on set theory, and was quoted by as having said, "God made integers; all else is the work of man"...
. In 1889 he became an associate professor at Berlin; in 1897 an invited professor in Bonn
Bonn
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....
and in the same year, a full professor at the University of Kolozsvár, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(now Cluj, Romania). From 1911 he was professor at the University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
, where he taught until 1930. In 1933 he was forced to retire by the Nazis. He died shortly afterwards.
Schlesinger was a historian of science. He wrote an article on the function theory of Carl Friedrich Gauss
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician and scientist who contributed significantly to many fields, including number theory, statistics, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics, electrostatics, astronomy and optics.Sometimes referred to as the Princeps mathematicorum...
and translated René Descartes
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
' La Géométrie
La Géométrie
La Géométrie was published in 1637 as an appendix to Discours de la méthode , written by René Descartes. In the Discourse, he presents his method for obtaining clarity on any subject...
into German (1894). He was one of the organizers of the celebrations for the hundredth anniversary of János Batsányi
János Batsányi
János Batsányi was a Hungarian poet.In 1785, he published his first work, a patriotic poem, "The Valour of the Magyars"...
and from 1904 to 1909 collected the works of his teacher R. Fuchs Lazarus Fuchs, who was also his father-in-law. In 1902 he became a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
. In 1909 he received the Lobachevsky Prize.
From 1929 until his death he was co-editor of Crelle's Journal
Crelle's Journal
Crelle's Journal, or just Crelle, is the common name for a mathematics journal, the Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik .- History :...
.
Like his teacher Fuchs, he worked primarily on linear ordinary differential equations. His two-volume Handbuch der Theorie der Linearen Differentialgleichungen was published from 1895 to 1898 in Teubner in Leipzig (Vol.2 in two parts). He also published Einführung in die Theorie der gewöhnlichen Differentialgleichungen auf funktionentheoretischer Grundlage (Auflage, 1922), Vorlesungen über lineare Differentialgleichungen (1908) and Automorphe Funktionen (Gruyter, 1924). In 1909 he wrote a long report for the annual report of the German Mathematical Society on the history of linear differential equations since 1865. He also studied differential geometry, and wrote a book of lectures on Einstein's general relativity theory.
Today, his best known work is Über eine Klasse von Differentialsystemen beliebiger Ordnung mit festen kritischen Punkten (Crelle's Journal, 1912). There he considered the problem of isomonodromy deformations for a certain matrix Fuchsian equation; this is a special case of Hilbert's 21st Problem (existence of differential equations with prescribed monodromy). The paper introduced what are today called Schlesinger transformations and Schlesinger equations.
External links
The article was created as a translation (by Google) of the corresponding article in German WikipediaGerman Wikipedia
The German Wikipedia is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and mostly publicly editable online encyclopedia.Founded in March 2001, it is the second-oldest and, with over articles, the second-largest edition of Wikipedia, behind the English Wikipedia...
.
- Literatur von und über Ludwig Schlesinger in German National LibraryGerman National LibraryThe German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...
.