Stefan Kaczmarz
Encyclopedia
Stefan Kaczmarz was a Polish
mathematician
. His Kaczmarz method
provided the basis for many modern imaging technologies, including the CAT scan.
Kaczmarz was an adjunct professor
of mechanics at the Lwow Polytechnic where he collaborated with Stefan Banach
.
Some sources claim that Kaczmarz, along with many other members of the Polish intelligentsia
, was rounded up by the NKVD
after the Soviet invasion of Poland
in 1939. Allegedly he, and others who were declared to be the enemies of the Soviet regime, were murdered by the NKVD
on orders from the Politburo
in 1940 in the Katyń massacre
. However, the Polish version of Wikipedia claims that Kaczmarz was not found in any Katyn lists and that he could be killed during combat operations as a porucznik (lieutenant) of Polish army near Warsaw. Exact place and date of his death are unknown.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
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....
. His Kaczmarz method
Kaczmarz method
The Kaczmarz method, based on the work of the Polishmathematican Stefan Kaczmarz,is a method for solving linear systems of equations A x = b .It was rediscovered in the field of image reconstruction from projections by...
provided the basis for many modern imaging technologies, including the CAT scan.
Kaczmarz was an adjunct 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...
of mechanics at the Lwow Polytechnic where he collaborated with Stefan Banach
Stefan Banach
Stefan Banach was a Polish mathematician who worked in interwar Poland and in Soviet Ukraine. He is generally considered to have been one of the 20th century's most important and influential mathematicians....
.
Some sources claim that Kaczmarz, along with many other members of the Polish intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
, was rounded up by the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
after the Soviet invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
in 1939. Allegedly he, and others who were declared to be the enemies of the Soviet regime, were murdered by the NKVD
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
on orders from the Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
in 1940 in the Katyń massacre
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
. However, the Polish version of Wikipedia claims that Kaczmarz was not found in any Katyn lists and that he could be killed during combat operations as a porucznik (lieutenant) of Polish army near Warsaw. Exact place and date of his death are unknown.
External Links
- Biography of Stefan Kaczmarz (in Polish)
- Article in Polish version of Wikipedia