Márta Svéd facts for kids

Márta Svéd (born 1910, died 2005) was a brilliant mathematician from Hungary. She moved to Australia in the 1930s. There, she taught math at the University of Adelaide. Márta earned her PhD when she was 75 years old! She also wrote a famous math book called Journey into Geometries. She won an award for helping students learn math in Australia.

Márta Svéd's Early Life and Education

Márta Svéd grew up in Budapest, Hungary. She went to high school with her friend, Esther Klein. Márta loved math from a young age. She especially enjoyed Középiskolai Matematikai Lapok, a Hungarian magazine for high school math students. This magazine had fun math problems to solve. Even the famous mathematician Paul Erdős used to solve problems from this magazine.

High School Math Competition

Márta was very good at math. She came in third place in a national math competition for high school students. She even placed higher than Pál Turán, who later became a famous mathematician. Her future husband, George Svéd, came in first place in that same competition.

Studying Math at University

In the late 1920s, there were rules in Hungary that limited how many Jewish students could study certain subjects. Because of these rules, only two students from Márta's class could study science or math at the university in Budapest. Márta chose to study mathematics. Her friend Esther Klein decided to study physics instead.

Life in Australia and Family

Márta Svéd and her husband, George, moved to Australia in 1939. They had a son and a daughter. Márta became the head of the math department at Wilderness School. This was a private high school for girls in Adelaide. In the same year, she helped start Australia's first math magazine for high school students.

Reuniting with Friends

Márta's old friend, Esther Klein, had married another mathematician, George Szekeres. They had to leave Europe during World War II and went to Shanghai. After the war, both the Szekeres and Svéd families ended up in Adelaide, Australia. They even shared a small apartment for a while.

Márta Svéd passed away on September 30, 2005. This was just two days after her friends, George and Esther Szekeres, died within an hour of each other. Márta was buried in Centennial Park Cemetery in South Australia.

Márta Svéd's Contributions to Mathematics

Márta Svéd achieved a great milestone in 1985. She completed her PhD at the University of Adelaide when she was 75 years old! Her PhD research was about a topic called finite geometry.

Writing Journey into Geometries

In 1991, Márta published her book, Journey into Geometries. People have described this book as an "Alice-in-Wonderland-type journey" into different kinds of geometry. It's written in a friendly, conversational style. This makes complex ideas easier to understand.

Márta also wrote a book called Two Lives and a Bonus. This book was published after she died in 2006. It tells the story of her early life in Budapest.

Awards and Recognitions

Márta Svéd received the BH Neumann Award in 1994. This award is given by the Australian Mathematics Trust. The award recognized her important work in helping math competitions grow in Australia. It also celebrated Australia's success in international math competitions.

To honor Márta Svéd's memory, the University of Adelaide offers a special scholarship. This scholarship helps women who are studying mathematics.