Olga Aleksandrovna Ladyzhenskaya
Encyclopedia
Olga Aleksandrovna Ladyzhenskaya (Ольга Александровна Ладыженская; March 7, 1922, Kologriv
– January 12, 2004, St. Petersburg) was a Soviet and Russia
n mathematician
. She was known for her work on partial differential equation
s (especially Hilbert's 19th problem
) and fluid dynamics
. She provided the first rigorous proofs of the convergence of a finite difference method
for the Navier-Stokes equations
. She was a student of Ivan Petrovsky
. She was awarded the Lomonosov Gold Medal
in 2002.
. She was the daughter of a mathematics teacher who is credited with her early inspiration and love of mathematics. In October 1937 her father was arrested by the NKVD
and soon killed. Young Olga was able to finish high school but, because her father was an "enemy of the people
", she was forbidden to enter the Leningrad University.
After Joseph Stalin
died in 1953, Ladyzhenskaya presented her doctoral thesis and was given the degree she had long before earned. She went on to teach at the university in Leningrad and at the Steklov Institute, staying in Russia even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rapid salary deflation for professors.
of a workshop in honour of Olga Ladyzhenskaya and Olga Oleinik... A biography in the Biographies of Women Mathematicians, Agnes Scott College
.. Memorial page at the St. Petersburg Mathematical Pantheon.
Kologriv
Kologriv is a town and the administrative center of Kologrivsky District of Kostroma Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Unzha River northeast of Kostroma. Population:...
– January 12, 2004, St. Petersburg) was a Soviet and Russia
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....
. She was known for her work on partial differential equation
Partial differential equation
In mathematics, partial differential equations are a type of differential equation, i.e., a relation involving an unknown function of several independent variables and their partial derivatives with respect to those variables...
s (especially Hilbert's 19th problem
Hilbert's nineteenth problem
Hilbert's nineteenth problem is one of the 23 Hilbert problems set out in a celebrated list compiled in 1900 by David Hilbert. It asks whether the solutions of regular problems in the calculus of variations are always analytic.-History:...
) and fluid dynamics
Fluid dynamics
In physics, fluid dynamics is a sub-discipline of fluid mechanics that deals with fluid flow—the natural science of fluids in motion. It has several subdisciplines itself, including aerodynamics and hydrodynamics...
. She provided the first rigorous proofs of the convergence of a finite difference method
Finite difference
A finite difference is a mathematical expression of the form f − f. If a finite difference is divided by b − a, one gets a difference quotient...
for the Navier-Stokes equations
Navier-Stokes equations
In physics, the Navier–Stokes equations, named after Claude-Louis Navier and George Gabriel Stokes, describe the motion of fluid substances. These equations arise from applying Newton's second law to fluid motion, together with the assumption that the fluid stress is the sum of a diffusing viscous...
. She was a student of Ivan Petrovsky
Ivan Petrovsky
Ivan Georgievich Petrovsky, also Petrovskii was a Soviet mathematician in the field of partial differential equations, and studied Petrovsky lacunas. He greatly contributed to solution of Hilbert's 19th and 16th problems...
. She was awarded the Lomonosov Gold Medal
Lomonosov Gold Medal
The Lomonosov Gold Medal, named after Russian scientist and polymath Mikhail Lomonosov, is awarded each year since 1959 for outstanding achievements in the natural sciences and the humanities by the USSR Academy of Sciences and later the Russian Academy of Sciences . Two medals are awarded...
in 2002.
Biography
Ladyzhenskaya was born and grew up in KologrivKologriv
Kologriv is a town and the administrative center of Kologrivsky District of Kostroma Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Unzha River northeast of Kostroma. Population:...
. She was the daughter of a mathematics teacher who is credited with her early inspiration and love of mathematics. In October 1937 her father was arrested by the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
and soon killed. Young Olga was able to finish high school but, because her father was an "enemy of the people
Enemy of the people
The term enemy of the people is a fluid designation of political or class opponents of the group using the term. The term implies that the "enemies" in question are acting against society as a whole. It is similar to the notion of "enemy of the state". The term originated in Roman times as ,...
", she was forbidden to enter the Leningrad University.
After Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
died in 1953, Ladyzhenskaya presented her doctoral thesis and was given the degree she had long before earned. She went on to teach at the university in Leningrad and at the Steklov Institute, staying in Russia even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rapid salary deflation for professors.
External links
. The proceedingsProceedings
In academia, proceedings are the collection of academic papers that are published in the context of an academic conference. They are usually distributed as printed books either before the conference opens or after the conference has closed. Proceedings contain the contributions made by researchers...
of a workshop in honour of Olga Ladyzhenskaya and Olga Oleinik... A biography in the Biographies of Women Mathematicians, Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College is a private undergraduate college in the United States. Agnes Scott's campus lies in downtown Decatur, Georgia, nestled inside the perimeter of the bustling metro-Atlanta area....
.. Memorial page at the St. Petersburg Mathematical Pantheon.