Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin
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Vladimir Rokhlin in Leningrad, 1966.
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| Born | 23 August 1919 |
| Died | 3 December 1984 (aged 65) |
| Citizenship | Citizen of the Soviet Union |
| Education | Moscow State University (1935-1941) |
| Known for |
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| Children | Vladimir Rokhlin, Jr. |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Leningrad State University |
| Academic advisors | Abraham Plessner |
| Notable students |
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Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin (Russian: Влади́мир Абра́мович Ро́хлин) (1919–1984) was a famous Soviet mathematician. He made many important discoveries in different areas of math. These included algebraic topology, geometry, measure theory, and probability theory.
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Life of Vladimir Rokhlin
Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin was born on August 23, 1919, in Baku, Azerbaijan. His family was Jewish and well-off. His mother, Henrietta Levenson, studied medicine in France. His grandmother, Clara Levenson, was one of the first female doctors in Russia.
Vladimir's father, Abram Rokhlin, was a well-known social democrat. He was sadly imprisoned and died in 1941 during a difficult time in the Soviet Union.
Early Education and War Years
Vladimir Rokhlin started studying at Moscow State University in 1935. His teacher there was Abraham Plessner. In 1941, he joined the army to fight in World War II. He was captured and became a prisoner in a German camp for four years. During this time, he managed to keep his Jewish background a secret from the Nazis.
Soviet soldiers freed Rokhlin in January 1945. After that, he worked as a German language translator for the army. In May 1945, he was sent to a Soviet camp to check on former prisoners of war. He was later moved to another camp.
Return to Mathematics
In June 1946, Vladimir Rokhlin was finally cleared and allowed to leave the camp. Important mathematicians like Andrey Kolmogorov and Lev Pontryagin helped him. He was released in December 1946 and could go back to Moscow. This allowed him to continue his studies in mathematics.
In 1959, Rokhlin became a professor at Leningrad State University. He taught many students who later became famous mathematicians themselves. He passed away in 1984 in Leningrad.
Rokhlin's Important Work in Math
Vladimir Rokhlin made big contributions to several areas of mathematics. His work helped shape how we understand many complex ideas.
Topology and Geometry
In a field called topology, Rokhlin discovered something important in 1952. It's known as Rokhlin's theorem. This theorem helps us understand the "signature" of certain shapes called 4-manifolds. He also worked on other topics like characteristic classes and homotopy theory. These are all about studying shapes and spaces.
Measure Theory and Probability
Rokhlin also did important work in measure theory. This part of math deals with how to measure things like length, area, or probability. He came up with something called Rokhlin partitions. He also created the idea of a standard probability space. This helps mathematicians work with probabilities in a clear way. He also proved the famous Rokhlin lemma.
Rokhlin's Family
Vladimir Rokhlin's son, Vladimir Rokhlin, Jr., is also a well-known mathematician. He is also a computer scientist at Yale University in the United States.
Vladimir Rokhlin's uncle was Korney Chukovsky. He was a very famous Russian poet. He is best known for writing popular children's books.
See also
- Gudkov's conjecture
