René de Possel
Encyclopedia
Lucien Alexandre Charles René de Possel (1905–1974) was a French
mathematician
, one of the founders of the Bourbaki
group, and later a pioneer computer scientist
, working in particular on optical character recognition
.
He had the conventional background for a member of Bourbaki: the École Normale Supérieure
, agrégation
, and then study in Germany
. He left Bourbaki at an early stage: there was an obvious personal matter intruding between him and André Weil
who had married De Possel's ex-wife Eveline following her divorce from De Possel in 1937.
De Possel published an early book on game theory
in 1936 (Sur la théorie mathématique des jeux de hasard et de réflexion). His later research work in computer science at the Institut Blaise Pascal was in a position of relative isolation, as the subject strove for independence and to move away from the imposed role of service provider in the field of numerical analysis
. He became director there in 1960, in succession to Louis Couffignal
(1902–1966), until an administrative reorganisation under the C. N. R. S. in 1969. He was a leading figure in pushing for the later Institut de Programmation.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
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....
, one of the founders of the Bourbaki
Nicolas Bourbaki
Nicolas Bourbaki is the collective pseudonym under which a group of 20th-century mathematicians wrote a series of books presenting an exposition of modern advanced mathematics, beginning in 1935. With the goal of founding all of mathematics on set theory, the group strove for rigour and generality...
group, and later a pioneer computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
, working in particular on optical character recognition
Optical character recognition
Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or electronic translation of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used to convert books and documents into electronic files, to computerize a record-keeping...
.
He had the conventional background for a member of Bourbaki: the École Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
, agrégation
Agrégation
In France, the agrégation is a civil service competitive examination for some positions in the public education system. The laureates are known as agrégés...
, and then study in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He left Bourbaki at an early stage: there was an obvious personal matter intruding between him and André Weil
André Weil
André Weil was an influential mathematician of the 20th century, renowned for the breadth and quality of his research output, its influence on future work, and the elegance of his exposition. He is especially known for his foundational work in number theory and algebraic geometry...
who had married De Possel's ex-wife Eveline following her divorce from De Possel in 1937.
De Possel published an early book on game theory
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
in 1936 (Sur la théorie mathématique des jeux de hasard et de réflexion). His later research work in computer science at the Institut Blaise Pascal was in a position of relative isolation, as the subject strove for independence and to move away from the imposed role of service provider in the field of numerical analysis
Numerical analysis
Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation for the problems of mathematical analysis ....
. He became director there in 1960, in succession to Louis Couffignal
Louis Couffignal
Louis Couffignal was a French Mathematician and Cybernetics pioneer. He taught in schools in the southwest of Brittany, then at the naval academy and, eventually, at the Buffon School.- Biography :...
(1902–1966), until an administrative reorganisation under the C. N. R. S. in 1969. He was a leading figure in pushing for the later Institut de Programmation.
External links
- Biography on St-Andrews site.
- Institut Blaise Pascal