N.J. Lennes, Montana, and Mathematics in the U.S. 1892-1922

Document Type

Presentation Abstract

Presentation Date

4-19-2010

Abstract

The life and work of the mathematician N.J. Lennes is presented as a case study for developments that took place in mathematics in fin-de-siècle America. The year 1892 was chosen due to the founding of the University of Chicago, where Lennes obtained all of his degrees. Moreover, Chicago became the leading department in the U.S., so we introduce some of the students whom Lennes rubbed elbows with and the professors they studied under. We also describe his publications before and after receiving his Ph.D. to illustrate the types of mathematics being investigated and the journals available to researchers during the first part of the twentieth century. Because Lennes is mainly remembered today as the first person to state the general definition of a connected set, we discuss the early history of this concept, ending with its coming-out party in 1922.

Dr. Zitarelli’s article from Notices of the American Mathematical Society, "Connected Sets and the AMS, 1901–1921".

Additional Details

The Department of Mathematical Sciences is pleased to present a special Colloquium talk for Math Awareness Month.

Sponsored by a gift from Dr. Frank Gilfeather '64.

Monday, 19 April 2010
3:10 p.m. in Math 103
4:00 p.m. Refreshments in Math Lounge 109

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