Marie-Hélène Schwartz facts for kids

Marie-Hélène Schwartz (born in 1913, died on January 5, 2013) was a very smart French mathematician. She was known for her important work on special numbers called "characteristic numbers." These numbers help us understand complex shapes and spaces, especially those with "singularities." Singularities are like special points or places where things behave differently.

Her Life and Work

Marie-Hélène Lévy was born in 1913. Her father, Paul Lévy, was also a famous mathematician. Her great-grandmother was Henri Weil, a well-known language expert.

Marie-Hélène went to a school called Lycée Janson-de-Sailly. In 1934, she started studying at a top university, the École Normale Supérieure. However, she became sick with tuberculosis and had to leave her studies for a while.

In 1938, she married another mathematician named Laurent Schwartz. During World War II, when Germany occupied France, Marie-Hélène and her husband had to hide to stay safe.

After the war, Marie-Hélène became a teacher at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne. In 1953, she finished her important research paper, called a thesis. Her thesis was about new ways to use the Gauss–Bonnet formula, which is a key idea in mathematics.

In 1964, she moved to teach at the University of Lille. She worked there until she retired in 1981.

Recognition and Later Years

Marie-Hélène Schwartz was highly respected for her work. In 1986, a special meeting was held in Lille to honor her.

In 1993, when she turned 80, another special day of talks was held in Paris. Marie-Hélène herself gave a two-hour talk at this event. She kept publishing new mathematical research even when she was in her late 80s.

See also

In Spanish: Marie-Hélène Schwartz para niños