Mihailo Petrović Alas facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Mihailo Petrović
Petrovic in 1905
Born	(1868-05-06)6 May 1868 Belgrade, Principality of Serbia
Died	8 June 1943(1943-06-08) (aged 75) Belgrade, Nedić's Serbia
Nationality	Serbian
Alma mater	Belgrade University École Normale Supérieure
Known for	Differential equations Phenomenology
Scientific career
Fields	Mathematician
Institutions	Belgrade University Serbian Royal Academy
Doctoral advisor	Charles Hermite Charles Émile Picard
Doctoral students	Jovan Karamata Dragoslav Mitrinović

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Mihailo Petrović Alas (Serbian Cyrillic: Михаило Петровић Алас; born May 6, 1868 – died June 8, 1943) was a famous Serbian mathematician and inventor. He was also a respected professor at Belgrade University. Besides his work in math, he was an academic, a passionate fisherman, a writer, and a traveler. He even volunteered in the Balkan Wars and both World Wars.

Mihailo Petrović studied with very important mathematicians like Henri Poincaré and Charles Hermite. He made big contributions to the study of differential equations, which are a type of math used to describe how things change. He also helped start engineering mathematics in Serbia. One of his cool inventions was an early version of a hydraulic analog computer.

Who Was Mihailo Petrović Alas?
Awards and Achievements
Selected Works
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See also

Who Was Mihailo Petrović Alas?

Mihailo Petrović was born in Belgrade on May 6, 1868. He was the first child of Nikodim, who was a theology professor, and Milica.

He finished high school at the First Belgrade Gymnasium in 1885. After that, he studied natural sciences and mathematics at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. In 1889, he went to Paris to continue his education. He got a degree in mathematical sciences from Sorbonne University in 1891.

On June 21, 1894, he earned his PhD in mathematical sciences from the Sorbonne. His doctorate focused on differential equations, a key area of mathematics.

Becoming a Professor and Academic

In 1894, Petrović became a mathematics professor at Belgrade's Grande école. This school later became the University of Belgrade. He was known as one of the top experts in differential equations at that time. He taught there until he retired in 1938.

He became a member of the Serbian Royal Academy in 1897. He also joined the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb. By 1899, at just 31 years old, he became a full member of the Serbian Royal Academy.

The "Alas" Nickname and His Hobbies

Mihailo Petrović earned the nickname "Alas," which means "river fisher." This was because he loved fishing so much! He became a master fisherman in 1895. He wasn't just a hobbyist; he was an expert. He even helped create rules for fishing with Romania and Austria-Hungary.

Alas wrote important papers about fish in lakes like Skadar Lake and Ohrid Lake. He also played the violin and started a music club called Suz in 1896.

Inventions and World Travels

Mihailo Petrović Alas invented a special machine called a hidrointegrator. This invention won him a gold medal at the World Exposition in Paris in 1900.

When the Grande école became the University of Belgrade in 1905, Petrović was one of the first eight main professors. He helped choose other professors for the new university. He patented 10 inventions in total. He also published 300 scientific papers and many books about his sea trips.

His travels took him to amazing places like the Azores, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Suez Canal, Madagascar, and the Caribbean. He even visited both the North and South Poles! He studied the culture of Eskimos and joined whale hunting trips.

Later Life and Legacy

Petrović received many awards and was a member of several science academies in other countries, including Prague, Bucharest, Warsaw, and Kraków.

In 1927, after Jovan Cvijić passed away, members of the Serbian academy wanted Mihailo Petrović to be their new president. However, the government did not agree. This might have been because he was a close friend and teacher to Prince Đorđe P. Karađorđević, the king's brother.

In 1931, the academy again suggested Alas for president, but the government still said no. Instead, another mathematician, Bogdan Gavrilović, was chosen. In 1939, the University of Belgrade gave him an honorary doctorate. He also received a high honor called the order of Saint Sava.

Mihailo Petrović Alas started the Belgrade School of Mathematics. This school trained many mathematicians who continued his important work. He guided all the PhD students at Belgrade University from 1912 until World War II.

He served as an officer in the Balkan Wars and First World War. He was also an expert in cryptography, which is the art of secret codes. His code systems were used by the Yugoslav army until World War II. When World War II started, he was called to serve again and was captured by the Germans. He was later released due to illness.

Professor Petrović passed away on June 8, 1943, at his home in Belgrade. Today, the Ninth Belgrade Gymnasium "Mihailo Petrović Alas" and a primary school in Belgrade are named after him. He was also a close friend of another famous scientist, Milutin Milanković.

Awards and Achievements

Mihailo Petrović Alas received many honors for his work:

Member of Serbian academy of sciences and arts
Member of Yugoslav academy
Member of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Member of academy, Bucharest
Member of academy, Warsaw
Member of academy, Kraków
Member of various scientific societies in Prague, Paris, and Berlin
Member of society of Italian mathematicians, Palermo
Member of society of German mathematicians, Leipzig
Member of Shevchenko Scientific Society, Lviv
Member of a scientific expedition to explore the South Pole
Member of Rotary Club, Belgrade
Order of Miloš the Great
Order of St. Sava, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree
Order of the Romanian crown, 3rd degree
Honorary award from London's society of mathematicians
Honorary president of the Yugoslav Alliance of students of mathematics
Honorary doctor of science, University of Belgrade
Dean of Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade

Selected Works

Mihailo Petrović Alas wrote many books and scientific papers. Here are some of his notable works, including his travel books:

O asimptonim vrednostima integrala i deferencijalnih jednačina, Belgrade, 1895.
Elementi matematicke fenomenologije, Belgrade 1911.
Les spectres numeriques, Paris 1919.
Mecanismes communs aux phenomenes disparates, Paris 1921.
Durees physiques independantes des dimensions spatiales, Zurich-Paris, 1924.
Lecons sur les spectres mathematiques, Paris, 1928.
Integrales premieres a restrictions, Paris, 1929.
Integrales qualitative des equations differentielles, Paris, 1931.
Fenomenološko preslikavanje, Beograd, 1933.
Jedan diferencijalni algoritam i njegove primene, Beograd, 1936.
Članci, Beograd, 1949.
Metafore i alegorije, Beograd 1967.
Računanje sa brojnim razmacima, Beograd, 1932.
Eliptičke funkcije, Beograd, 1937.
Integracije diferencijalnih jednačina pomoću redova, Beograd 1938.
Kroz polarnu oblast (Through the Polar Region), Belgrade 1932.
U carstvu gusara (In the Realm of Pirates), Belgrade, 1933.
Sa okeanskim ribarima (With Ocean Fishermen), Belgrade, 1935.
Po zabačenim ostrvima (On Remote Islands), Belgrade, 1936.
Roman jegulje (The Eel's Novel), Belgrade, 1940.
Đerdapski ribolov u prošlosti i sadašnjosti (Iron Gate Fishing in Past and Present), Belgrade, 1941.
Daleka kopna i mora (Distant Lands and Seas), Belgrade, 1948.
Po gusarima i drugim ostrvima (On Pirate and Other Islands), Belgrade 1952.
S okenaskim ribarima, Subotica, 1953.
Po gusarskim ostrvima, Beograd, 1960.
Sa Arktika do Antarktika, Beograd, 1960.

His complete works were published in 15 books, covering topics from differential equations and mathematical analysis to his travel writings and fishing studies.