Gösta Mittag-Leffler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gösta Mittag-Leffler
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Gösta Mittag-Leffler
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| Born | 16 March 1846 |
| Died | 7 July 1927 (aged 81) Djursholm
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| Citizenship | Swedish |
| Alma mater | Uppsala University (PhD, 1872) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Thesis | Om skiljandet af rötterna till en synektisk funktion af en variabel (1872) |
| Doctoral advisor | Göran Dillner |
| Doctoral students | Ivar Fredholm Hjalmar Mellin Gustav Cassel |
Magnus Gustaf "Gösta" Mittag-Leffler (born March 16, 1846 – died July 7, 1927) was a Swedish mathematician. He is best known for his work in a field of math called complex analysis. He also started a very important math magazine called Acta Mathematica and was its editor for 40 years.
Mittag-Leffler helped Sofia Kovalevskaya become a full professor of mathematics at Stockholm University. This was a big deal because she was the first woman in the world to hold such a position. He also helped Marie Curie get the Nobel Prize for her discoveries about radiation, making sure she was recognized equally with her husband, Pierre Curie.
After World War I, Mittag-Leffler gave his home and amazing math library in Djursholm to the Swedish Academy of Science. This gift became the start of the modern Mittag-Leffler Institute, a famous place for math research.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
Gösta Mittag-Leffler was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the first son of John Olof Leffler, a school teacher, and Gustava Wilhelmina Mittag. His father became a school principal soon after Gösta was born. The family lived in the school building for a while before buying their own house.
Gösta had three younger siblings: Anna-Maria, Frits, and Arthur. Anna-Maria became a famous writer, Frits was a linguist, and Arthur became an engineer. Their parents often had friends visit, and Gösta later said he learned a lot by listening to their conversations. He also loved spending summers with his maternal grandparents. When he was 20, he added his mother's maiden name, Mittag, to his last name to honor her family.
In 1855, Gösta went to Klara Elementary School in Stockholm. Even though the school was strict, he was a very talented student. He later attended Uppsala University. There, he studied under Göran Dillner and earned his PhD in 1872.
In 1873, Mittag-Leffler received a special scholarship that allowed him to study abroad for three years. He visited three major math centers: University of Paris, Humboldt University of Berlin, and University of Göttingen. In Paris, he met many important mathematicians. He then moved to Berlin in 1874 and attended lectures by Karl Weierstrass. Weierstrass had a huge impact on Mittag-Leffler's future studies and how he thought about math.
Active Years as a Professor
In 1877, Mittag-Leffler became a math professor at the University of Helsinki in Finland. His application for the job was considered brilliant. He taught about elliptic functions and basic analysis, and many students studied under him.
In 1881, he moved back to Sweden and became the first professor of mathematics at the new University College of Stockholm.
In 1882, he married Signe Lindfors. Signe came from a very wealthy family in Finland. Her family's money later helped Mittag-Leffler fund his important math journal, Acta Mathematica.
In the late 1880s, Mittag-Leffler bought several pieces of land in Djursholm and built a large family house. This house became famous for welcoming many mathematicians from around the world. It had an amazing library, even with books from the 16th century, where guests could work. Mittag-Leffler himself worked there, editing Acta Mathematica. His home in Djursholm became a central place for math research.
By 1899, Mittag-Leffler was a member of many important scientific groups, including the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society in London. He also received honorary degrees from universities like the University of Oxford.
Mittag-Leffler strongly believed in women's rights. He played a key role in helping Sofia Kovalevskaya become a full math professor in Stockholm in 1884. This made her the first woman in the world to hold such a position. After her death, he worked hard to protect her scientific reputation. As part of the Nobel Prize Committee in 1903, he convinced the committee to give the Physics Nobel Prize to both Marie Curie and Pierre Curie, not just Pierre.
Acta Mathematica
In 1882, Mittag-Leffler started the math journal Acta Mathematica. His goal was to create an international magazine that would publish the best math papers from scientists worldwide. He believed that mathematics was the most important science.
He traveled across Europe, even on his honeymoon, to convince mathematicians to publish their work in his new journal. He managed to get a steady flow of excellent articles. The journal needed a lot of money to start, which came from King Oscar and partly from his wife Signe's fortune. Acta Mathematica quickly became one of the most respected math journals in the world.
Later Years and Legacy
Mittag-Leffler retired from teaching in 1911, but he continued to work on Acta Mathematica for more than 15 years. He also invested in businesses. However, after World War I, he lost most of his money.
In 1916, he turned his Djursholm estate into a national trust. This was the beginning of the Mittag-Leffler Institute, which is still a leading math research center today.
Gösta Mittag-Leffler passed away on July 7, 1927. His home and library became the Mittag-Leffler Institute, which is a very important place for mathematicians in Sweden. In 1934, a glacier called Mittag-Lefflerbreen was named after him to honor his contributions.
Works and Accomplishments
Mittag-Leffler's work led to several important concepts in mathematics, including:
- Mittag-Leffler distribution
- Mittag-Leffler function
- Mittag-Leffler polynomials
- Mittag-Leffler star
- Mittag-Leffler summation
- Mittag-Leffler theorem
- Mittag-Leffler condition of an inverse limit
Images for kids
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Gösta Mittag-Leffler
See also
In Spanish: Gösta Mittag-Leffler para niños
