Gaston Julia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gaston Julia
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Gaston Julia (right), with Gustav Herglotz and two dogs
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| Born | 3 February 1893 Sidi Bel Abbes, French Algeria
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| Died | 19 March 1978 (aged 85) Paris
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| Nationality | French |
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| Known for | Julia set |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Paris |
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Gaston Maurice Julia (born February 3, 1893 – died March 19, 1978) was a French mathematician. He is famous for creating the formula for the Julia set. His work became well-known thanks to another French mathematician, Benoit Mandelbrot. The Julia and Mandelbrot fractals are very closely related. He also helped start the modern study of how functions change over time, known as holomorphic dynamics.
Early Life and War Service
Gaston Julia was born in Sidi Bel Abbes, a town in Algeria. At that time, Algeria was ruled by France. When he was young, he loved both mathematics and music.
His studies were stopped when he was 21 years old. This was because France joined World War I. Julia was called to serve in the army. During a battle, he was badly hurt and lost his nose. Doctors tried many times to fix it, but they were not successful. For the rest of his life, he wore a leather strap where his nose had been.
Mathematics Career
Julia became well-known for his math work at age 25 in 1918. He wrote a long paper called Mémoire sur l'itération des fonctions rationnelles. This means "Memoir on the Iteration of Rational Functions." It was published in a famous math magazine.
This paper became very popular among mathematicians. It won him a big award, the Grand Prix des Sciences Mathématiques. This award came from the French Academy of Sciences in 1918. But after this short time of fame, his work was mostly forgotten.
Years later, Benoit Mandelbrot mentioned Julia's work in his own studies of fractals. This made Julia's ideas popular again.
Gaston Julia passed away in Paris on March 19, 1978. He was 85 years old.
Julia was also the father of Marc Julia. Marc Julia was a French chemist. He invented a chemical reaction called the Julia olefination.
During World War Two
During World War II, France was occupied by another country. Gaston Julia faced questions about his actions during this time. He helped find French mathematicians to work with a math information service.
After France was freed, he was suspended from his job for a few weeks. However, he did not face any further punishment. This was because people were very impressed by his status as a "gueule cassée." This French term means "broken face," referring to his war injury. He then went back to his normal work. He was a professor at important universities. He even became president of the French Academy of Sciences in 1950.
See also
In Spanish: Gaston Julia para niños
