Kurt Mahler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kurt Mahler
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Kurt Mahler in 1970
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| Born | 26 July 1903 |
| Died | 25 February 1988 (aged 84) Canberra, Australia
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| Alma mater | Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität |
| Known for | Mahler's inequality Mahler measure Mahler polynomial Mahler volume Mahler's theorem Mahler's compactness theorem Skolem–Mahler–Lech theorem |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society (1948) Member of the Australian Academy of Science (1965) Senior Berwick Prize (1950) De Morgan Medal (1971) Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal (1977) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Ohio State University Australian National University University of Manchester University of Groningen |
| Thesis | Über die Nullstellen der unvollständigen Gammafunktion (1927) |
| Doctoral advisor | Carl Ludwig Siegel |
Kurt Mahler (born July 26, 1903, in Krefeld, Germany – died February 25, 1988, in Canberra, Australia) was a very smart mathematician. He studied different kinds of numbers and how they behave.
He was known for his work in areas like transcendental number theory, which looks at numbers that aren't solutions to simple equations. He also worked on p-adic analysis, a way of looking at numbers using prime numbers.
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Kurt Mahler's Journey and Work
Kurt Mahler went to universities in Frankfurt and Göttingen. He earned his Ph.D. (a high-level degree) from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main in 1927. His teacher was a famous mathematician named Carl Ludwig Siegel.
When Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, Kurt Mahler left the country. He was invited by another mathematician, Louis Mordell, to come to Manchester, England.
At the start of World War II, he was briefly held in a camp on the Isle of Man. This was because he was from Germany, which was an "enemy" country at the time. He was released after only three months. In 1946, he became a British citizen.
Where Mahler Taught and Researched
Kurt Mahler held many important jobs during his career:
- At the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, he was an Assistant from 1934 to 1936.
- At the University of Manchester in England, he worked for many years:
- Assistant Lecturer: 1937–1939, 1941–1944
- Lecturer: 1944–1947
- Senior Lecturer: 1948–1949
- Reader: 1949–1952
- Professor of Mathematical Analysis: 1952–1963
- He became a Professor of Mathematics at the Australian National University in Australia from 1963 to 1968 and again from 1972 to 1975.
- He also taught as a Professor of Mathematics at Ohio State University in the USA from 1968 to 1972.
- From 1975, he was a Professor Emeritus at the Australian National University. This means he was a retired professor who still kept his title.
Mahler's Discoveries in Mathematics
Kurt Mahler studied many different areas of mathematics. He looked at how numbers behave and how they can be approximated.
He proved that certain special numbers, like the Prouhet–Thue–Morse constant and the Champernowne constant (which starts 0.123456789101112...), are transcendental numbers. This means they cannot be the solution to a simple algebraic equation.
In 1953, Mahler was the first to figure out how "hard" it is to approximate the number Pi (π) using fractions. This is called an irrationality measure. While some think Pi's irrationality measure is 2, the best current estimate is around 7.1.
Awards and Recognition
Kurt Mahler received many honors for his important work:
- He became a member of the Royal Society in 1948. This is a very old and respected group of scientists in the UK.
- He also became a member of the Australian Academy of Science in 1965.
- He won the Senior Berwick Prize in 1950 from the London Mathematical Society.
- He was awarded the De Morgan Medal in 1971.
- In 1977, he received the Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal.
Personal Life
Besides being a brilliant mathematician, Kurt Mahler had other talents. He could speak Japanese very well. He was also a skilled photographer.
More About Kurt Mahler's Work
If you want to learn more about the specific mathematical ideas Kurt Mahler worked on, you can look up these topics:
- Mahler's inequality
- Mahler measure
- Mahler polynomial
- Mahler volume
- Mahler's theorem
- Mahler's compactness theorem
- Skolem–Mahler–Lech theorem
