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Marcel GrossmannSwiss mathematician
Date of Birth: 09.04.1878
Country:  Switzerland |
Content:
Biography of Marcel Grossmann
Marcel Grossmann, a Swiss mathematician, was born in Budapest, then part of Austria-Hungary, into a Jewish family. In 1893, his family moved to the Swiss village of Talwil. Marcel completed his schooling in Basel and in 1896, he enrolled in the Swiss Federal Polytechnic Institute (Polytechnicum) in Zurich, where he became friends with his fellow student, Albert Einstein. In 1902, he defended his dissertation at the University of Zurich. From 1901 to 1905, Grossmann taught in Frauenfeld, and then for a while in Basel. In 1907, he returned to Zurich and became a professor of mathematics at the Polytechnicum, specializing in descriptive geometry. From 1911 to 1927, he served as the dean of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. In 1910, Grossmann co-founded the Swiss Mathematical Society and served as its president from 1916 to 1917.
Influence on Einstein
Marcel Grossmann had a significant impact on Albert Einstein's life and career. The first instance occurred in 1902 when Einstein, unable to find employment after graduating from the Polytechnicum, was in desperate financial straits. Grossmann, through his father, helped Einstein secure a position as an examiner at the Swiss Federal Office for Intellectual Property in Bern, Switzerland. Einstein and Grossmann maintained an intense correspondence, and seven years later, they met again in Zurich, with Einstein now a renowned physicist and a professor at the University of Zurich.
The second instance happened in 1912 when Einstein concluded that the mathematical model of general relativity should describe curved four-dimensional spacetime. He turned to Marcel Grossmann for help in choosing the appropriate mathematical tools for this description. Grossmann recommended tensor analysis, which was already well-developed for two-dimensional surfaces, and assisted Einstein in developing the four-dimensional generalization. As Einstein recalled, Grossmann "willingly agreed to work together on the problem, but with the limitation that he would not assume any responsibility for any physical statements and interpretations."
Together, they wrote their first article on the tensor formulation of general relativity. Grossmann focused on the mathematical sections of the paper, while Einstein contributed to the physical aspects. The content of this article was still far from the final version of general relativity. They published another joint paper the following year. Grossmann did not participate in the final stages of developing general relativity.
Later Life and Legacy
Marcel Grossmann's other works include a series of articles on descriptive and non-Euclidean geometry, as well as two school textbooks. In 1920, he began experiencing progressive symptoms of multiple sclerosis, and in 1927, he had to retire from teaching. Nine years later, he passed away.
Throughout his life, Einstein warmly and gratefully remembered Grossmann, highly appreciating his contribution to the development of the general theory of relativity. In one of his last papers with an autobiography, Einstein dedicated it to the memory of Grossmann (1955).
In honor of Marcel Grossmann, the "Grossmann Meetings" take place every three years, hosting an international seminar on general relativity. The Marcel Grossmann Awards are presented at the seminar.
