Oswald Veblen

Oswald Veblen
Oswald Veblen (photographc.1915)
Born	(1880-06-24)June 24, 1880 Decorah, Iowa,U.S.
Died	August 10, 1960(1960-08-10)(aged 80) Brooklin, Maine,U.S.
Alma mater	University of Iowa Harvard University University of Chicago
Known for	Veblen function Veblen hierarchy Veblen ordinal Veblen's theorem Veblen–Young theorem Veblen–Wedderburn systems Fixed-point lemma for normal functions
Scientific career
Institutions	Princeton University Institute for Advanced Study
Thesis	A System of Axioms for Geometry(1903)
Doctoral advisor	E. H. Moore
Doctoral students	J. W. Alexander H. Roy Brahana Alonzo Church Philip Franklin Wallace Givens Harold Hotelling Howard H. Mitchell Robert Lee Moore Tracy Thomas J. H. C. Whitehead

Oswald Veblen(June 24, 1880 – August 10, 1960) was an Americanmathematician,geometerandtopologist,whose work found application inatomic physicsand thetheory of relativity.He proved theJordan curve theoremin 1905;while this was long considered the first rigorous proof of the theorem, many now also considerCamille Jordan's original proof rigorous.

Early life

Veblen was born inDecorah, Iowa.His parents were Andrew Anderson Veblen (1848–1932), Professor of Physics at theUniversity of Iowa,and Kirsti (Hougen) Veblen (1851–1908). Veblen's uncle wasThorstein Veblen,noted economist and sociologist.

Oswald went to school inIowa City.He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Iowa, where he received anABin 1898, andHarvard University,where he was awarded a secondBAin 1900. For his graduate studies, he went to study mathematics at theUniversity of Chicago,where he obtained aPhDin 1903. His dissertation,A System of Axioms for Geometrywas written under the supervision ofE. H. Moore.DuringWorld War I,Veblen served first as a captain, later as a major in theUnited States Army.

Career

Veblen taught mathematics atPrinceton Universityfrom 1905 to 1932. In 1926, he was namedHenry B. FineProfessor of Mathematics. In 1932, he helped organize theInstitute for Advanced Studyin Princeton, resigning his professorship to become the first professor at the Institute that same year. He kept his professorship at the Institute until he was made emeritus in 1950.

During his years in Princeton, Veblen and his wife, Elizabeth M D Richardson, accumulated land along thePrinceton Ridge.In 1957 they donated 82 acres (33 ha) to establish theHerrontown Woods Arboretum,the first and one of the largest nature preserves inPrinceton, New Jersey.

Veblen was a Plenary Speaker of theICMin 1928 in Bologna and in 1936 in Oslo.

Veblen died inBrooklin, Maine,in 1960 at age 80. After his death theAmerican Mathematical Societycreated an award in his name, called theOswald Veblen Prize in Geometry.It is awarded every three years, and is the most prestigious award in recognition of outstanding research in geometry.

Accomplishments

During his career, Veblen made important contributions in topology and inprojectiveanddifferentialgeometries, including results important inmodern physics.He introduced the Veblen axioms for projective geometry and proved theVeblen–Young theorem.He introduced theVeblen functionsof ordinals and used an extension of them to define the small and largeVeblen ordinals.InWorld War IIhe was involved in overseeing ballistics work at theAberdeen Proving Groundthat involved early moderncomputing machines,in particular supporting the proposal for creation of the pioneeringENIACelectronicdigital computer.He also published a paper in 1912 on thefour-color conjecture.

Veblen was elected to theAmerican Philosophical Societyin 1912, the United StatesNational Academy of Sciencesin 1919, and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciencesin 1923.

Personal life

In 1908, he married Elizabeth Richardson, the sister of British physicistOwen Willans Richardsonand sister-in-law of American physicistClinton Joseph Davisson.

Veblen Research Instructorship

The Veblen Research Instructorship is a three-year position offered by the Department of Mathematics atPrinceton Universityand theInstitute for Advanced Study.This position was established in 1998 and offered each year to outstanding candidates in pure and applied mathematics who have received their PhD within the last three years.

The Veblen instructors are Members of the Institute for Advanced Study and regular faculty members at Princeton University. The first and third year of the instructorship are spent at Princeton University and carry regular teaching responsibilities. The second year is spent at the Institute and dedicated to independent research of the instructor's choice.

Books by O. Veblen

• Introduction to infinitesimal analysis; functions of one real variablewith N. J. Lennes (John Wiley & Sons, 1907)
• Projective geometrywith John Wesley Young (Ginn and Co., Vol. 1, 1910;Vol. 2, 1918)
• Analysis Situs (American Mathematical Society, 1922;2nd edn. 1931)
• Invariants of Quadratic Differential Forms (Cambridge University Press, 1927)
• The Foundations of Differential Geometry with J. H. C. Whitehead (Cambridge University Press, 1932)
• Projektive Relativitätstheorie (Springer Verlag, 1933)

See also

• Hughes plane
• Finite geometry
• Ordered geometry
• Hall plane of order 9

External links

• O'Connor, John J.;Robertson, Edmund F.,"Oswald Veblen",MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive,University of St Andrews
• Obituary and Bibliography of Oswald Veblen(also availablehere.)
• Works by Oswald VeblenatProject Gutenberg
• Works by or about Oswald VeblenatInternet Archive
• "Projective relativity theory," transl. by D. H. Delphenich
• Oswald Veblenat theMathematics Genealogy Project