Hieronymus Georg Zeuthen
Encyclopedia
Hieronymus Georg Zeuthen (15 February 1839 – 6 January 1920) was a Danish
mathematician
.
He is known for work on the enumerative geometry
of conic section
s, algebraic surface
s, and history of mathematics
.
where his father was a minister. In 1849, his father moved to a church in Sorø
where Zeuthen began his secondary schooling. In 1857 he entered the University of Copenhagen
to study mathematics and graduated with a Master's degree in 1862. Following this he earned a scholarship to study abroad, and decided to visit Paris
where he studied geometry with Michel Chasles
.
After returning to Copenhagen, Zeuthen submitted his doctoral dissertation on a new method to determine the characteristics of conic systems in 1865. Enumerative geometry remained his focus up until 1875.
In 1871 he was appointed as an extraordinary professor at the University of Copenhagen, as well as becoming an editor of Matematisk Tidsskrift, a position he held for 18 years. For 39 years he served as secretary of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
, during which he also lectured at the Polytechnic Institute. In 1886 he was promoted to ordinary professor at the University of Copenhagen, where he twice served as Rector.
After 1875 Zeuthen began to make contributions in other areas such as mechanics and algebraic geometry, as well as being recognised as an expert on the history of medieval and Greek mathematics. He wrote 40 papers and books on the history of mathematics, which covered many topics and several periods.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
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....
.
He is known for work on the enumerative geometry
Enumerative geometry
In mathematics, enumerative geometry is the branch of algebraic geometry concerned with counting numbers of solutions to geometric questions, mainly by means of intersection theory.-History:...
of conic section
Conic section
In mathematics, a conic section is a curve obtained by intersecting a cone with a plane. In analytic geometry, a conic may be defined as a plane algebraic curve of degree 2...
s, algebraic surface
Algebraic surface
In mathematics, an algebraic surface is an algebraic variety of dimension two. In the case of geometry over the field of complex numbers, an algebraic surface has complex dimension two and so of dimension four as a smooth manifold.The theory of algebraic surfaces is much more complicated than that...
s, 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....
.
Biography
Zeuthen was born in Grimstrup near VardeVarde
Varde Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Gylling Håhr, a member of the Venstre political party. The main town and site of its municipal council is the town of Varde. Its area is 1255.79 km²...
where his father was a minister. In 1849, his father moved to a church in Sorø
Sorø
Sorø is a town in Sorø municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand in east Denmark. The population is 7,805 . The municipal council and the regional council are located in Sorø....
where Zeuthen began his secondary schooling. In 1857 he entered the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
to study mathematics and graduated with a Master's degree in 1862. Following this he earned a scholarship to study abroad, and decided to visit Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he studied geometry with Michel Chasles
Michel Chasles
Michel Floréal Chasles was a French mathematician.He was born at Épernon in France and studied at the École Polytechnique in Paris under Siméon Denis Poisson. In the War of the Sixth Coalition he was drafted to fight in the defence of Paris in 1814...
.
After returning to Copenhagen, Zeuthen submitted his doctoral dissertation on a new method to determine the characteristics of conic systems in 1865. Enumerative geometry remained his focus up until 1875.
In 1871 he was appointed as an extraordinary professor at the University of Copenhagen, as well as becoming an editor of Matematisk Tidsskrift, a position he held for 18 years. For 39 years he served as secretary of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters is a Danish non-governmental science Academy, founded 13 November 1742 by permission of the King Christian VI, as a historical Collegium Antiquitatum...
, during which he also lectured at the Polytechnic Institute. In 1886 he was promoted to ordinary professor at the University of Copenhagen, where he twice served as Rector.
After 1875 Zeuthen began to make contributions in other areas such as mechanics and algebraic geometry, as well as being recognised as an expert on the history of medieval and Greek mathematics. He wrote 40 papers and books on the history of mathematics, which covered many topics and several periods.