Oscar Chisini
Encyclopedia
Oscar Chisini was an Italian
mathematician
. He introduced the Chisini mean
in 1929.
.
In 1929 he founded the Institute of Mathematics (Istituto di Matematica) at the University of Milan
, along with Gian Antonio Maggi and Giulio Vivanti. He then held the position of chairman of the Institute from the early 1930s until 1959.
He graduated from the University of Bologna
in 1912, having studied under Federigo Enriques
. In 1952 he had the appellation "Federigo Enriques" attached to the Institute, to commemorate his memory. This name has been maintained by the Institute, and by the Department of Mathematics (which it became) since 1982.
He was a major contributor to the Enciclopedia Italiana
, and from 1946–1967 editor of the journal Il periodico di matematiche.
The Chisini conjecture in algebraic geometry
is a uniqueness question for morphisms of generic smooth projective surfaces, branched on a cuspidal curve. A special case is the question of the uniqueness of the covering of the projective plane
, branched over a generic curve of degree at least five.
Chisini died in Milan
in 1967.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
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 introduced the Chisini mean
Chisini mean
In mathematics, a function f of n variablesleads to a Chisini mean M if for every vector <x1 ... xn>, there exists a unique M such that...
in 1929.
Biography
Chisini was born in BergamoBergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
.
In 1929 he founded the Institute of Mathematics (Istituto di Matematica) at the University of Milan
University of Milan
The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
, along with Gian Antonio Maggi and Giulio Vivanti. He then held the position of chairman of the Institute from the early 1930s until 1959.
He graduated from the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
in 1912, having studied under Federigo Enriques
Federigo Enriques
Federigo Enriques was an Italian mathematician, now known principally as the first to give a classification of algebraic surfaces in birational geometry, and other contributions in algebraic geometry....
. In 1952 he had the appellation "Federigo Enriques" attached to the Institute, to commemorate his memory. This name has been maintained by the Institute, and by the Department of Mathematics (which it became) since 1982.
He was a major contributor to the Enciclopedia Italiana
Enciclopedia Italiana
The Enciclopedia Italiana di scienze, lettere ed arti , is an Italian encyclopedia, generally regarded as the most authoritative of that language...
, and from 1946–1967 editor of the journal Il periodico di matematiche.
The Chisini conjecture in algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry is a branch of mathematics which combines techniques of abstract algebra, especially commutative algebra, with the language and the problems of geometry. It occupies a central place in modern mathematics and has multiple conceptual connections with such diverse fields as complex...
is a uniqueness question for morphisms of generic smooth projective surfaces, branched on a cuspidal curve. A special case is the question of the uniqueness of the covering of the projective plane
Projective plane
In mathematics, a projective plane is a geometric structure that extends the concept of a plane. In the ordinary Euclidean plane, two lines typically intersect in a single point, but there are some pairs of lines that do not intersect...
, branched over a generic curve of degree at least five.
Chisini died in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
in 1967.