Stephan Cohn-Vossen
Encyclopedia
Stefan or Stephan Cohn-Vossen (28 May 1902 – 25 June 1936) was a mathematician
, now best known for his collaboration with David Hilbert
on the 1932 book Anschauliche Geometrie, translated into English
as Geometry and the Imagination. The Cohn-Vossen transformation is also named for him.
He was born in Breslau (now Wrocław in Poland
). He wrote a 1924 doctoral dissertation at the University of Wrocław. He became a professor at the University of Cologne
in 1930.
He was barred from lecturing in 1933 under Nazi
racial legislation, because he was Jewish. In 1934 he emigrated to the USSR, with some help from Herman Müntz
. While there, he taught at Leningrad University. He died in Moscow
from pneumonia
.
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....
, now best known for his collaboration with David Hilbert
David Hilbert
David Hilbert was a German mathematician. He is recognized as one of the most influential and universal mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many areas, including invariant theory and the axiomatization of...
on the 1932 book Anschauliche Geometrie, translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as Geometry and the Imagination. The Cohn-Vossen transformation is also named for him.
He was born in Breslau (now Wrocław in Poland
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...
). He wrote a 1924 doctoral dissertation at the University of Wrocław. He became a professor at the University of Cologne
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
in 1930.
He was barred from lecturing in 1933 under Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
racial legislation, because he was Jewish. In 1934 he emigrated to the USSR, with some help from Herman Müntz
Herman Müntz
Herman Müntz was a German mathematician, now remembered for the Müntz approximation theorem....
. While there, he taught at Leningrad University. He died in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
External links
- Cohn-Vossen's Obituary (in RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
)