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Ask HN: Help me choose a mathematician to write about

by raptrex on 3/11/10, 6:06 PM with 7 comments

I have the option to write a paper about a mathematician for extra credit and I don't personally have a favorite. So, who's your favorite mathematician I should write about from these three files, and if they are not in one of these files, I'll ask my teacher if I could write about that person. Thanks

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3ydcK31R-ctMmFiZGI1NGUtYjE5Yy00Nzg2LThkNmQtM2JlN2U5OWY1NTJm&hl=en

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3ydcK31R-ctOGJiZTRjZGQtYjVjMC00ZGEwLWFmMmMtNjA2Y2MxODE3YTdj&hl=en

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3ydcK31R-ctYzcyMjY0NzEtMjBhOC00OTY4LThmMzktYWUxOGJmZTUzYjIx&hl=en

by phaedrus on 3/11/10, 10:36 PM
You should write about Lagrange: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange
I kept running across things named after him or invented by him in different areas (Lagrange points in orbital mechanics, the Lagrange Method in my Calc IV class, variation of parameters in my Diff Equ class.)
He isn't such an obvious choice like Goedel, Euler or Newton, yet he has made contributions of a pretty amazing breadth and depth. That combination could make for a paper that's presents refreshingly new info while also allowing you to talk about a lot of different areas.
by raptrex on 3/11/10, 6:07 PM
Clickable http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3ydcK31R-ctMmFiZGI1NGUt...
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3ydcK31R-ctOGJiZTRjZGQt...
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3ydcK31R-ctYzcyMjY0NzEt...
by Xichekolas on 3/11/10, 11:43 PM
For a mathematician with an interesting and unusual life story, I'd go with Srinivasa Ramanujan:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan
Of course, there are more traditional "greats" like Leonhard Euler, Leibniz, Euclid, or Riemann.
by icey on 3/11/10, 6:58 PM
I vote for Leonhard Euler.
Paul Erdős would probably be fun to write about.
by drallison on 3/11/10, 7:33 PM
Benoit Mandelbrot best known for his fractels but a contributor in a number of other fields.
by morganvane on 3/11/10, 7:13 PM
Kurt Godel, most definitely
by nlabs on 3/11/10, 6:11 PM
hands down, John von Neumann: the greatest mathematician of the 20th century. Information theory, computer architecture, quantum mechanics, game theory, pure math - he did just about everything.