Paul Nemenyi
Encyclopedia
Paul Felix Nemenyi was a Jewish Hungarian
physicist
and mathematician
specializing in fluid dynamics
. Nemenyi was best known for using what he called the inverse or semi-inverse approach to obtain numerous exact solutions of the nonlinear equations of gas dynamics, many of them representing rotational flows of nonuniform total energy. He was the father of the statistician Peter Nemenyi
and possibly the father of former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer
.
. In the early 1930s, he published a textbook on mathematical mechanics that became required reading in German universities. Stripped of his position when the Nazis came to power, he also had to leave Hungary where anti-Semitic laws had been enacted, and found work for a time in Copenhagen.
He arrived in the USA at the outbreak of World War II. He briefly held a number of teaching positions in succession and took part in hydraulic research at the State University of Iowa. In 1941 he was appointed instructor at the University of Colorado
, and in 1944 at the State College of Washington.
In Germany, Nemenyi belonged to a Socialist party called the ITSK. He was an animal-rights supporter, who refused to wear anything made of wool. Theodore von Karman
wrote of Nemenyi: “When he came to this country, he went to scientific meetings in an open shirt without a tie and was very much disappointed as I advised him to dress as anyone else. He told me that he thought this was a country of freedom, and the man is only judged according to his internal values and not his external appearance.”
In 1947 Nemenyi was appointed a physicist with the Naval Ordnance Laboratory
, White Oak, Maryland
. He was head of the Theoretical Mechanics Section at the laboratory
and one of the country's principal authorities on elasticity and fluid dynamics. Nemenyi was best known for using what he called the inverse or semi-inverse approach to obtain numerous exact solutions of the nonlinear equations of gas dynamics, many of them representing rotational flows of nonuniform total energy (see article by Nemenyi and Prim in Selected List of Publications below, which is Nemenyi's most highly cited work, though it has had no citations since 1985. Exact solutions may have less practical importance since the widespread availability of computers.). His scientific knowledge extended well beyond the subjects of his researches. He has been described as having “extreme[ly] versatile interests and erudition”. Nemenyi's interest and ability encompassed several
nonscientific fields. He collected children's art and sometimes lectured upon it. In 1951, he published a critique of the entire Encyclopædia Britannica, and suggested improvements for such diverse sections as psychology and psychoanalysis.
Paul Nemenyi died on March 1, 1952, at the age of 56. He was survived by a son, Peter Nemenyi, then a student of mathematics at Princeton University.
, not the man named on Fischer's birth certificate. Additional details on their relationship were reported in 2009.
(Information not incorporated into article)
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
physicist
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
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....
specializing in 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...
. Nemenyi was best known for using what he called the inverse or semi-inverse approach to obtain numerous exact solutions of the nonlinear equations of gas dynamics, many of them representing rotational flows of nonuniform total energy. He was the father of the statistician Peter Nemenyi
Peter Nemenyi
Peter Björn Nemenyi was an American statistician and civil-rights activist of Jewish Hungarian descent. He was the son of Paul Nemenyi one of the most eminent hydrologists of the twentieth century...
and possibly the father of former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
.
Biography
Nemenyi obtained a D.Sc. in mathematics in Berlin in 1922 and lectured on engineering at the Technical University of BerlinTechnical University of Berlin
The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
. In the early 1930s, he published a textbook on mathematical mechanics that became required reading in German universities. Stripped of his position when the Nazis came to power, he also had to leave Hungary where anti-Semitic laws had been enacted, and found work for a time in Copenhagen.
He arrived in the USA at the outbreak of World War II. He briefly held a number of teaching positions in succession and took part in hydraulic research at the State University of Iowa. In 1941 he was appointed instructor at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, and in 1944 at the State College of Washington.
In Germany, Nemenyi belonged to a Socialist party called the ITSK. He was an animal-rights supporter, who refused to wear anything made of wool. Theodore von Karman
Theodore von Karman
Theodore von Kármán was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronautics and astronautics. He is responsible for many key advances in aerodynamics, notably his work on supersonic and hypersonic airflow characterization...
wrote of Nemenyi: “When he came to this country, he went to scientific meetings in an open shirt without a tie and was very much disappointed as I advised him to dress as anyone else. He told me that he thought this was a country of freedom, and the man is only judged according to his internal values and not his external appearance.”
In 1947 Nemenyi was appointed a physicist with the Naval Ordnance Laboratory
Naval Ordnance Laboratory
The Naval Ordnance Laboratory , now disestablished, formerly located in White Oak, Maryland was the site of considerable work that had practical impact upon world technology. The White Oak site of NOL has now been taken over by the Food and Drug Administration.-History:The U.S...
, White Oak, Maryland
White Oak, Maryland
White Oak is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, White Oak's boundaries are not officially defined...
. He was head of the Theoretical Mechanics Section at the laboratory
and one of the country's principal authorities on elasticity and fluid dynamics. Nemenyi was best known for using what he called the inverse or semi-inverse approach to obtain numerous exact solutions of the nonlinear equations of gas dynamics, many of them representing rotational flows of nonuniform total energy (see article by Nemenyi and Prim in Selected List of Publications below, which is Nemenyi's most highly cited work, though it has had no citations since 1985. Exact solutions may have less practical importance since the widespread availability of computers.). His scientific knowledge extended well beyond the subjects of his researches. He has been described as having “extreme[ly] versatile interests and erudition”. Nemenyi's interest and ability encompassed several
nonscientific fields. He collected children's art and sometimes lectured upon it. In 1951, he published a critique of the entire Encyclopædia Britannica, and suggested improvements for such diverse sections as psychology and psychoanalysis.
Paul Nemenyi died on March 1, 1952, at the age of 56. He was survived by a son, Peter Nemenyi, then a student of mathematics at Princeton University.
Bobby Fischer's Father?
In 2002 Nemenyi was identified as the probable biological father of world chess champion Bobby FischerBobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
, not the man named on Fischer's birth certificate. Additional details on their relationship were reported in 2009.
Select list of publications
- Adolf Ludin and Paul Nemenyi, Die nordischen Wasserkräfte: Ausbau und wirtschaftliche Ausnutzung. Berlin: Julius Springer, 1930.
- Paul Nemenyi, Wasserbauliche Strömungslehre. Barth Verlag, 1933.
- Paul Nemenyi and Bennie N. Netser, ‘Relation of the Statistical Theory of Turbulence to Hydraulics’, Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers 66 (1940), pp. 967–979.
- Paul Nemenyi and R. Prim. Some geometric properties of plane gas flow. JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Pages: 130-135 Published: 1948. Cited 14 times according to Science Citation Index. Last cited 1985.
- Paul Nemenyi, ‘The Main Concepts and Ideas of Fluid Dynamics in their Historical Development’, Archive for History of Exact Sciences 2 (1962), pp. 52–86. Posthumous publication, edited by Clifford TruesdellClifford TruesdellClifford Ambrose Truesdell III was an American mathematician, natural philosopher, historian of science, and polemicist.-Life:...
.
Obituaries
- Science, 29 August 1952, Vol. 116. no. 3009, pp. 215 – 216 http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/116/3009/215.pdf
- Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 1953, 43, pp. 62–63 [Clifford Truesdell wrote this obituary and the Science obituary, and they are virtually identical.]
(Information not incorporated into article)