 |
Charles HermiteFrench mathematician
Date of Birth: 24.12.1822
Country:  France |
Content:
Biography of Charles Hermite
Charles Hermite (1822–1901) was a French mathematician known for his contributions to number theory, algebra, and the theory of elliptic functions. He was born on December 24, 1822 in Dieuze, France.
Education and Career
Hermite attended the College Henri IV and later enrolled in the Lycee Louis-le-Grand in 1841. He then went on to study at the Polytechnic School, graduating in 1847. In 1848, he began teaching mathematics at the College de France, and in 1870, he became a professor at the Ecole Normale Superieure and the Sorbonne.
Hermite was elected a member of the Paris Academy of Sciences in 1856 and the Royal Society of London in 1873.
Contributions
Hermite's work focused on the theory of numbers, algebra, and the theory of elliptic functions. One of his most significant achievements was showing how to transform a general algebraic equation of the fifth degree into a form solvable by elliptic modular functions. He also studied orthogonal polynomials, which became known as Hermite polynomials, and developed the theory of invariants in collaboration with Arthur Cayley and James Joseph Sylvester.
In 1873, Hermite proved the transcendence of the number e. Later, German mathematician Ferdinand von Lindemann used a method similar to Hermite's to prove the transcendence of pi.
Hermite is well-known for his work on the solution of the quintic equation (Sur la rsolution de l'quatia du cinquime degr, 1858).
Death
Charles Hermite passed away on January 14, 1901 in Paris. His contributions to mathematics continue to be influential and he is remembered as one of the great mathematicians of his time.
