Jonas Kubilius
Encyclopedia
Jonas Kubilius was a Lithuania
n mathematician
who worked in probability theory
and number theory
. He was rector
of Vilnius University
for 32 years, and served one term in the Lithuanian parliament
.
, Lithuania
on July 27, 1921. He graduated from Raseiniai high school in 1940 and entered Vilnius University
, from which he graduated summa cum laude in 1946 after taking off a year to teach mathematics in middle school.
Kubilius received the Candidate of Sciences degree in 1951 from Leningrad University. His thesis, written under Yuri Linnik
, was titled Geometry of Prime Numbers. He received the Doctor of Science
degree (habilitation
) in 1957 from the Steklov Institute of Mathematics
in Moscow
.
and at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
. He continued working at the university after receiving his bachelor's degree in 1946, and worked as a lecturer and assistant professor after receiving his Candidate degree in 1951. In 1958 he was promoted to professor and was elected rector
of the university. He retired from the rector's position in 1991 after serving almost 33 years, and remained a professor in the university.
During the Khrushchev Thaw
in the middle 1950's there were attempts to make the university "Lithuanian" by encouraging the use of the Lithuanian language
in place of Russian
and to revive the Department of Lithuanian Literature. This work was started by the rector Juozas Bulavas, but Stalinists objected and Bulavas was dismissed. Kubilius replaced him as rector and was more successful in resisting pressure to Russify
the University: he returned Lithuanian language and culture to the forefront of the University. Česlovas Masaitis attributes Kubilius's success to "his ability to manipulate within the complex bureaucratic system of the Soviet Union and mainly because of his international recognition due to his scientific achievements." Kubilius also encouraged the faculty to write research papers in Lithuanian, English, German, and French, as well as in Russian, and he himself wrote several textbooks in Lithuanian.
In 1952 Kubilius became an employee of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
in the Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy Sector. He initially promoted the development of probability theory
in Lithuania, and later the development of differential equations and mathematical logic
. In 1956 the Physical and Technical Institute was reorganized and Kubilius became head of the new Mathematical Sector. When he became rector of Vilnius University in 1958 he gave up his duties as head and was succeeded by Vytautas Statulevičius in 1960.
In 1962 he was elected a member of the Academy. He held a position as Principal Scientific Worker at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics,
which split from the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and is now an independent state scientific institute.
Kubilius's scientific work was in the areas of number theory
and probability theory
. The Turán–Kubilius inequality
and the Kubilius model in probabilistic number theory
are named after him. Eugenijus Manstavičius and Fritz Schweiger wrote about Kubilius's work in 1992, "the most impressive work has been done on the statistical theory of arithmetic functions which almost created a new research area called Probabilistic Number Theory. A monograph devoted to this topic was translated into English in 1964 and became very influential." (The monograph is Probabilistic Methods in the Theory of Numbers.)
Kubilius organized the first mathematical olympiad in Lithuania in 1951, and he wrote books of problems for students to use in preparing for the olympiads. He was a past president of the Lithuanian Mathematical Society.
In addition to his scientific and administrative work, Kubilius was a member of the Seimas
(Lithuanian parliament) from 1992 to 1996.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
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....
who worked in probability theory
Probability theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either be single...
and 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...
. He was rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Vilnius University
Vilnius University
Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....
for 32 years, and served one term in the Lithuanian parliament
Seimas
The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...
.
Life and education
Kubilius was born in Fermos village, Eržvilkas county, Jurbarkas district municipalityJurbarkas district municipality
Jurbarkas district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania....
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
on July 27, 1921. He graduated from Raseiniai high school in 1940 and entered Vilnius University
Vilnius University
Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....
, from which he graduated summa cum laude in 1946 after taking off a year to teach mathematics in middle school.
Kubilius received the Candidate of Sciences degree in 1951 from Leningrad University. His thesis, written under Yuri Linnik
Yuri Linnik
Yuri Vladimirovich Linnik was a Soviet mathematician active in number theory, probability theory and mathematical statistics.Linnik was born in Bila Tserkva, in present-day Ukraine. He went to St Petersburg University where his supervisor was Vladimir Tartakovski, and later worked at that...
, was titled Geometry of Prime Numbers. He received the Doctor of Science
Doktor nauk
Doktor nauk is a higher doctoral degree, the second and the highest post-graduate academic degree in the Soviet Union, Russia and in many post-Soviet states. Sometimes referred to as Dr. Hab. The prerequisite is the first degree, Kandidat nauk which is informally regarded equivalent to Ph.D....
degree (habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
) in 1957 from the Steklov Institute of Mathematics
Steklov Institute of Mathematics
Steklov Institute of Mathematics or Steklov Mathematical Institute is a research institute based in Moscow, specialized in mathematics, and a part of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It was established April 24, 1934 by the decision of the General Assembly of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Career
Kubilius had simultaneous careers at Vilnius UniversityVilnius University
Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....
and at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
The Lithuanian Academy of Sciences or LAS, founded in 1941 as the Lithuanian SSR Academy of Sciences , as an autonomous, state-subsidized establishment serving as a scientific advisory body to the government of Lithuanian SSR...
. He continued working at the university after receiving his bachelor's degree in 1946, and worked as a lecturer and assistant professor after receiving his Candidate degree in 1951. In 1958 he was promoted to professor and was elected rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the university. He retired from the rector's position in 1991 after serving almost 33 years, and remained a professor in the university.
During the Khrushchev Thaw
Khrushchev Thaw
The Khrushchev Thaw refers to the period from the mid 1950s to the early 1960s, when repression and censorship in the Soviet Union were partially reversed and millions of Soviet political prisoners were released from Gulag labor camps, due to Nikita Khrushchev's policies of de-Stalinization and...
in the middle 1950's there were attempts to make the university "Lithuanian" by encouraging the use of the Lithuanian language
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
in place of 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...
and to revive the Department of Lithuanian Literature. This work was started by the rector Juozas Bulavas, but Stalinists objected and Bulavas was dismissed. Kubilius replaced him as rector and was more successful in resisting pressure to Russify
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
the University: he returned Lithuanian language and culture to the forefront of the University. Česlovas Masaitis attributes Kubilius's success to "his ability to manipulate within the complex bureaucratic system of the Soviet Union and mainly because of his international recognition due to his scientific achievements." Kubilius also encouraged the faculty to write research papers in Lithuanian, English, German, and French, as well as in Russian, and he himself wrote several textbooks in Lithuanian.
In 1952 Kubilius became an employee of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
The Lithuanian Academy of Sciences or LAS, founded in 1941 as the Lithuanian SSR Academy of Sciences , as an autonomous, state-subsidized establishment serving as a scientific advisory body to the government of Lithuanian SSR...
in the Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy Sector. He initially promoted the development of probability theory
Probability theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either be single...
in Lithuania, and later the development of differential equations and mathematical logic
Mathematical logic
Mathematical logic is a subfield of mathematics with close connections to foundations of mathematics, theoretical computer science and philosophical logic. The field includes both the mathematical study of logic and the applications of formal logic to other areas of mathematics...
. In 1956 the Physical and Technical Institute was reorganized and Kubilius became head of the new Mathematical Sector. When he became rector of Vilnius University in 1958 he gave up his duties as head and was succeeded by Vytautas Statulevičius in 1960.
In 1962 he was elected a member of the Academy. He held a position as Principal Scientific Worker at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics,
which split from the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and is now an independent state scientific institute.
Kubilius's scientific work was in the areas 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...
and probability theory
Probability theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either be single...
. The Turán–Kubilius inequality
Turán–Kubilius inequality
The Turán–Kubilius inequality is a mathematical theorem in probabilistic number theory. It is useful for proving results about the normal order of an arithmetic function. The theorem was proved in a special case in 1934 by Paul Turán and generalized in 1956 and 1964 by Jonas Kubilius.-Statement of...
and the Kubilius model in probabilistic number theory
Probabilistic number theory
Probabilistic number theory is a subfield of number theory, which explicitly uses probability to answer questions of number theory. One basic idea underlying it is that different prime numbers are, in some serious sense, like independent random variables...
are named after him. Eugenijus Manstavičius and Fritz Schweiger wrote about Kubilius's work in 1992, "the most impressive work has been done on the statistical theory of arithmetic functions which almost created a new research area called Probabilistic Number Theory. A monograph devoted to this topic was translated into English in 1964 and became very influential." (The monograph is Probabilistic Methods in the Theory of Numbers.)
Kubilius organized the first mathematical olympiad in Lithuania in 1951, and he wrote books of problems for students to use in preparing for the olympiads. He was a past president of the Lithuanian Mathematical Society.
In addition to his scientific and administrative work, Kubilius was a member of the Seimas
Seimas
The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...
(Lithuanian parliament) from 1992 to 1996.