Alexander Grothendieck
French mathematician (1928–2014) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alexander Grothendieck (/ˈɡroʊtəndiːk/; German pronunciation: [ˌalɛˈksandɐ ˈɡʁoːtn̩ˌdiːk] ⓘ; French: [ɡʁɔtɛndik]; 28 March 1928 – 13 November 2014) was a German-born mathematician who became the leading figure in the creation of modern algebraic geometry.[7][8] His research extended the scope of the field and added elements of commutative algebra, homological algebra, sheaf theory, and category theory to its foundations, while his so-called "relative" perspective led to revolutionary advances in many areas of pure mathematics.[7][9] He is considered by many to be the greatest mathematician of the twentieth century.[10][11]
Alexander Grothendieck | |
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Born | (1928-03-28)28 March 1928 |
Died | 13 November 2014(2014-11-13) (aged 86) Saint-Lizier, Ariège, France |
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Known for | Renewing algebraic geometry and synthesis between it and number theory and topology List of things named after Alexander Grothendieck |
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Fields | Mathematics – functional analysis, algebraic geometry, homological algebra |
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Thesis | Produits tensoriels topologiques et espaces nucléaires (1953) |
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Grothendieck began his productive and public career as a mathematician in 1949. In 1958, he was appointed a research professor at the Institut des hautes études scientifiques (IHÉS) and remained there until 1970, when, driven by personal and political convictions, he left following a dispute over military funding. He received the Fields Medal in 1966 for advances in algebraic geometry, homological algebra, and K-theory.[12] He later became professor at the University of Montpellier[5] and, while still producing relevant mathematical work, he withdrew from the mathematical community and devoted himself to political and religious pursuits (first Buddhism and later, a more Catholic Christian vision).[13] In 1991, he moved to the French village of Lasserre in the Pyrenees, where he lived in seclusion, still working on mathematics and his philosophical and religious thoughts until his death in 2014.[14]