Ivan Petrovsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ivan Petrovsky
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Ivan Petrovsky portrayed on a Soviet stamp
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Ivan Georgiyevich Petrovsky
18 January 1901 Sevsk, Oryol Governorate, Russian Empire
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| Died | 15 January 1973 (aged 71) |
| Alma mater | Moscow State University |
| Known for | Hyperbolic partial differential equations Kolmogorov–Petrovsky–Piskunov equation Petrovsky lacuna |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Moscow State University Steklov Institute of Mathematics |
| Doctoral advisor | Dmitri Egorov |
| Doctoral students | Olga Ladyzhenskaya Evgenii Landis Olga Oleinik Sergei Godunov Aleksei Filippov |
Ivan Georgiyevich Petrovsky (Russian: Ива́н Гео́ргиевич Петро́вский) was a famous Soviet mathematician. He was born on January 18, 1901, and passed away on January 15, 1973. He worked mainly on a type of math called partial differential equations, which are used to describe how things change over time and space, like heat flow or wave movement.
Petrovsky made big contributions to solving some very difficult math problems known as Hilbert's 19th and 16th problems. He also discovered special mathematical concepts called Petrovsky lacunas. Besides these, he studied boundary value problems (math problems with specific conditions at their edges), probability (the study of chance), and the shapes of algebraic curves and surfaces (shapes described by math equations).
A Life in Mathematics
Ivan Petrovsky was a student of another important mathematician, Dmitri Egorov. Petrovsky himself became a great teacher, and many of his students became famous mathematicians too. Some of them include Olga Ladyzhenskaya, Evgenii Landis, Olga Oleinik, and Sergei Godunov.
Teaching and Leadership
Petrovsky taught at the Steklov Institute of Mathematics, a top research center. In 1946, he became a member of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union. This was a very high honor for scientists in the Soviet Union. In 1969, he received the title of Hero of Socialist Labour, which was a special award for people who made outstanding contributions to their country.
From 1951 to 1973, Petrovsky was the president of Moscow State University. This is one of the biggest and most important universities in Russia. He also led the International Congress of Mathematicians in Moscow in 1966. This was a huge meeting where mathematicians from all over the world shared their latest discoveries.
Ivan Petrovsky died in Moscow and was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Cemetery, a famous burial place for many important figures in Russian history.
