November 09, 2016 Wednesday
Bedtime Story
The Friendship of David Hilbert and Hermann Minkowski
The Friendship of David Hilbert and Hermann Minkowski
Mathematics (including logic and information theory) is to
computer science as molecular and cellular biology is to medicine.
The relationship may seem obscure and imperceptible but it is
foundational and pervasive.
Starting in 1700s, University of Göttingen in Germany rose to
become the world’s kernel of mathematics, nurturing and supporting the likes of
Karl Friedrich Gauss (thanks to endowments from the Duke of Braunschweig or
Brunswick), Peter Dirichlet, Bernhard Riemann, Felix Klein and of course David
Hilbert.
It was Felix Klein who sought, acquired and retained David Hilbert
at the University of Göttingen.
These two together made Gottingen renowned and unrivalled center
of mathematics of the world.
David Hilbert was born in the province of Prussia (within the
Kingdom of Prussia within the German Empire) in 1862.
Currently this place is called Znamensk, a rural settlement in
Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia with a population of slightly over 4000.
This place is not very far from the Königsberg of the Seven
Bridges Problem fame.
At the age of 18 (in 1880) after finishing his schooling in a
gymnasium, Hilbert enrolled himself at the University of Königsberg also known
as Albertus Universität.
Over there his greatest finds were Hermann Minkowski and Adolf
Hurwitz (Minkowski being 2 years younger and Hurwitz 3 years older).
Herman Minkowski was a very shy boy though gifted who was born to
Jewish parents in Aleksotas, Russian Empire (now in Lithuania).
Hurwitz on the other hand was invited from Gottingen to Konigsberg
as professor Extraordinarius at the age of 25.
Adolf Hurwitz had a profound influence on both Hilbert and
Minkowski.
Hilbert and Minkowski became the greatest of friends that would
last their life time even though Minkowski died suddenly and prematurely of
appendicitis in 1909 when he just 45 years old (It was a pre antimicrobial era
then).
This is what Hilbert had to say at his friend’s obituary:
“Since my student years Minkowski was my best, most dependable
friend who supported me with all the depth and loyalty that was so characteristic
of him.
“Our science, which we loved above all else, brought us together;
it seemed to us a garden of flowers.
“In it, we enjoyed looking for hidden pathways and discovered many
a new perspective that appealed to our sense of beauty, and when one of us
showed it to the other and we marveled at it together, our joy was complete.”
Such are these men mon ami, who found joy and meaning of life in
mathematics.
Stay tuned to the voice of an average story storytelling
chimpanzee or login at http://panarrans.blogspot.in/
Good night and my fellow cousin ape.
Another great educator and a teacher that I am aware of is
Professor Subhashish Chattopadhyay in Bangalore, India.
While I narrate stories, Professor Subhashish an electronic
engineer and a former professor at BARC, does and teaches real mathematics and
physics.
He started the participation of Indian students at the
International Physics Olympiad.
Do visit him here:
All his books can be downloaded for free through this link:
For edutainment and English education of your children, may I
suggest this large collection of Kids Songs:
Hermann Minkowski had built a life long friendship with David Hilbert
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