D. D. Morduhai-Boltovskoi
Encyclopedia
Dmitry Dmitrievich Morduhai-Boltovskoi was a Russia
n mathematician
, best known for his work in analysis
, differential Galois theory
, number theory
, hyperbolic geometry
, and history of mathematics
. He is also known for his annotated
translation of Euclid
's Elements
into Russian
, still considered the best of a kind.
. His father was a railroad engineer
and high-ranking official in the Imperial Russian transportation ministry
, and his grandfather was a general
. In 1894 he entered St Petersburg University
where he took lectures from Andrey Markov
, Aleksandr Korkin
, Yu.V. Sokhotski
and Dmitry Grave
. He finished his dissertation under Konstantin Posse in 1898 and started in Warsaw Politechnic Institute
. He continued to work in Warsaw
alongside Georgy Voronoy
, later raising to become a professor at Warsaw University in 1914. In 1915, after Germany
captured Warsaw in the World War I
, parts of the Warsaw University were evacuated
and Morduhai-Boltovskoi with colleagues started working in Rostov University
. He continued living in Rostov
and working there until his death in 1952.
Morduhai-Boltovskoi was the founder of mathematics research in Rostov. His students included Boris Levin and Nikolai Efimov
. His son, Filaret Dmitrievich, was one of the leading Russian experts in hydrobiology
.
's novel The First Circle
. Solzhenitsyn was his student at Rostov University
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, best known for his work in analysis
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis, which mathematicians refer to simply as analysis, has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of infinitesimal calculus. It is a branch of pure mathematics that includes the theories of differentiation, integration and measure, limits, infinite series, and analytic functions...
, differential Galois theory
Differential Galois theory
In mathematics, differential Galois theory studies the Galois groups of differential equations.Whereas algebraic Galois theory studies extensions of algebraic fields, differential Galois theory studies extensions of differential fields, i.e. fields that are equipped with a derivation, D. Much of...
, number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
, hyperbolic geometry
Hyperbolic geometry
In mathematics, hyperbolic geometry is a non-Euclidean geometry, meaning that the parallel postulate of Euclidean geometry is replaced...
, and history of mathematics
History of mathematics
The area of study known as the history of mathematics is primarily an investigation into the origin of discoveries in mathematics and, to a lesser extent, an investigation into the mathematical methods and notation of the past....
. He is also known for his annotated
Annotation
An annotation is a note that is made while reading any form of text. This may be as simple as underlining or highlighting passages.Annotated bibliographies give descriptions about how each source is useful to an author in constructing a paper or argument...
translation of Euclid
Euclid
Euclid , fl. 300 BC, also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I...
's Elements
Euclid's Elements
Euclid's Elements is a mathematical and geometric treatise consisting of 13 books written by the Greek mathematician Euclid in Alexandria c. 300 BC. It is a collection of definitions, postulates , propositions , and mathematical proofs of the propositions...
into Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, still considered the best of a kind.
Biography
Morduhai-Boltovskoi is a descendant of a Russian noble family, was born in 1876 in Pavlovsk, near Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. His father was a railroad engineer
Railroad engineer
A railroad engineer, locomotive engineer, train operator, train driver or engine driver is a person who drives a train on a railroad...
and high-ranking official in the Imperial Russian transportation ministry
Transportation ministry
A Ministry of Transport is a ministry or other government agency charged with transport. It may be headed by a Minister for Transport.Specific duties may be overseeing transportation safety, developing government transportation policy, organizing public transport, and the maintenance and...
, and his grandfather was a general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
. In 1894 he entered St Petersburg University
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....
where he took lectures from Andrey Markov
Andrey Markov
Andrey Andreyevich Markov was a Russian mathematician. He is best known for his work on theory of stochastic processes...
, Aleksandr Korkin
Aleksandr Korkin
Aleksandr Nikolayevich Korkin was a Russian mathematician. He made contribution to the development of partial differential equations. After Chebyshev, Korkin was the most important initiator of the formation of the Saint Petersburg Mathematical School....
, Yu.V. Sokhotski
Yulian Vasilievich Sokhotski
Julian Karol Sochocki was a Polish mathematician....
and Dmitry Grave
Dmitry Grave
Dmitry Aleksandrovich Grave was a Russian and Soviet mathematician.Naum Akhiezer, Nikolai Chebotaryov, Mikhail Kravchuk, and Boris Delaunay were among hisstudents.-Brief history:...
. He finished his dissertation under Konstantin Posse in 1898 and started in Warsaw Politechnic Institute
Warsaw University of Technology
The Warsaw University of Technology is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland, and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professors . The student body numbers 36,156 , mostly full-time. There are 17 faculties covering almost all fields of...
. He continued to work in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
alongside Georgy Voronoy
Georgy Voronoy
Georgy Feodosevich Voronoy was a Russian Empire mathematician of Ukrainian origin. Among other things, he defined the Voronoi diagram.Voronoy was born in the village of Zhuravky, district of Pyriatin, in Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire .From 1889, Voronoy studied at Saint Petersburg...
, later raising to become a professor at Warsaw University in 1914. In 1915, after Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
captured Warsaw in the World War I
Poland during World War I
While Poland did not exist as an independent state during World War I, its geographical position between the fighting powers had meant that much fighting and terrific human and material losses occurred on the Polish lands between 1914 and 1918....
, parts of the Warsaw University were evacuated
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
and Morduhai-Boltovskoi with colleagues started working in Rostov University
Southern Federal University
Southern Federal University , abbreviated as SFedU and formely known as Rostov State University , is a public university in Rostov Oblast, Russia with campuses in Rostov-on-Don and Taganrog.-History:...
. He continued living in Rostov
Rostov
Rostov is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:...
and working there until his death in 1952.
Morduhai-Boltovskoi was the founder of mathematics research in Rostov. His students included Boris Levin and Nikolai Efimov
Nikolai Efimov
Nikolai Vladimirovich Efimov was a Soviet mathematician. He is most famous for his work on generalized Hilbert's problem on surfaces of negative curvature....
. His son, Filaret Dmitrievich, was one of the leading Russian experts in hydrobiology
Hydrobiology
Hydrobiology is the science of life and life processes in water. Much of modern hydrobiology can be viewed as a sub-discipline of ecology but the sphere of hydrobiology includes taxonomy, economic biology, industrial biology, morphology, physiology etc. The one distinguishing aspect is that all...
.
Literary references
Dmitry Dmitrievich Morduhai-Boltovskoi was a model for a character of Professor Dmitri Dmitrievich Goryainov-Shakhovskoy in Aleksandr SolzhenitsynAleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
's novel The First Circle
The First Circle
In the First Circle is a novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn released in 1968. A fuller version of the book was published in English in 2009....
. Solzhenitsyn was his student at Rostov University
Southern Federal University
Southern Federal University , abbreviated as SFedU and formely known as Rostov State University , is a public university in Rostov Oblast, Russia with campuses in Rostov-on-Don and Taganrog.-History:...
.
External links
- Timeline of Morduhai-Boltovskoi's life (in RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
) - Biography (in RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
) - Downloadable papers list, from MathNet.ru
- Family Archive home page
- Complete list of publications (in Russian)