Pelageya Polubarinova-Kochina
Encyclopedia
Pelageya Yakovlevna Polubarinova-Kochina was a Soviet woman mathematician
and scientist, working in applied mathematics
, best known for her work on the application of Fuchsian
differential equation
s to hydrodynamics.
Born in 1899 in czarist Russia
of an accountant and a housewife, young Pelageya was the second youngest of four children. She studied at a women's high school in St. Petersburg and went on to Petrograd University (after the Revolution of 1917). Her father died in 1918 so she started to take care of the family by working at the laboratory of geophysics. There she met Nikolai Kochin
, and they married in 1925 and had two daughters. The two taught at Petrograd University until 1934, when they moved to Moscow
, where Nikolai Kochin took a teaching position at the University of Moscow. In Moskow, Polubarinova-Kochina did research at the Steklov Institute until World War II, when she and their daughters were evacuated to Kazan
while Kochin stayed in Moscow to work on aiding the military effort. He died before the war was over. After the war, she edited his lectures and continued to teach applied mathematics. She was later head of the department of theoretical mechanics at the University of Novosibirsk and director of the department of applied hydrodynamics at the Hydrodynamics Institute. She was a founder of the Siberia
n branch of the Academy of Sciences at Novosibirsk
.
She was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1946, was made a Hero of Socialist Labor
in 1969 and received the Order of the Friendship of Nations in 1979. She died in 1999 a few months after her 100th birthday.
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....
and scientist, working in applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
, best known for her work on the application of Fuchsian
Lazarus Fuchs
Lazarus Immanuel Fuchs was a German mathematician who contributed important research in the field of linear differential equations...
differential equation
Differential equation
A differential equation is a mathematical equation for an unknown function of one or several variables that relates the values of the function itself and its derivatives of various orders...
s to hydrodynamics.
Born in 1899 in czarist Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
of an accountant and a housewife, young Pelageya was the second youngest of four children. She studied at a women's high school in St. Petersburg and went on to Petrograd University (after the Revolution of 1917). Her father died in 1918 so she started to take care of the family by working at the laboratory of geophysics. There she met Nikolai Kochin
Nikolai Kochin
Nikolai Evgrafovoch Kochin was a Russian and Soviet mathematician specialising in applied mathematics, and especially fluid and gas mechanics.-Biography:...
, and they married in 1925 and had two daughters. The two taught at Petrograd University until 1934, when they moved to 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...
, where Nikolai Kochin took a teaching position at the University of Moscow. In Moskow, Polubarinova-Kochina did research at the Steklov Institute until World War II, when she and their daughters were evacuated to Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
while Kochin stayed in Moscow to work on aiding the military effort. He died before the war was over. After the war, she edited his lectures and continued to teach applied mathematics. She was later head of the department of theoretical mechanics at the University of Novosibirsk and director of the department of applied hydrodynamics at the Hydrodynamics Institute. She was a founder of the Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n branch of the Academy of Sciences at Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
.
She was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1946, was made a Hero of Socialist Labor
Hero of Socialist Labor
Hero of Socialist Labour was an honorary title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. It was the highest degree of distinction for exceptional achievements in national economy and culture...
in 1969 and received the Order of the Friendship of Nations in 1979. She died in 1999 a few months after her 100th birthday.
External links
- "Pelageya Yakovlevna Polubarinova-Kochina", Biographies of Women Mathematicians, Agnes Scott CollegeAgnes Scott CollegeAgnes 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....