Abram Samoilovitch Besicovitch
Encyclopedia
Abram Samoilovitch Besicovitch (or Besikovitch) was a Russia
n mathematician
, who worked mainly in England
. He was born in Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov
(now in Ukraine
) to a Karaite
family.
. He converted to Eastern Orthodoxy, joining the Russian Orthodox Church
, on marrying in 1916. He was appointed professor at the University of Perm
in 1917, and was caught up in the Russian Civil War
over the next two years. In 1920 he took a position at the Petrograd University
.
In 1924 he went to Copenhagen
and Harald Bohr
, on a Rockefeller Fellowship, where he worked on almost periodic function
s, which now bear his name. After a visit to G.H. Hardy in Oxford
, he had appointments at Liverpool University in 1926, and the University of Cambridge
in 1927.
After moving to Cambridge in 1927, and by 1950 he had been appointed to the Rouse Ball Chair of Mathematics, which he held until his retirement in 1958, he then toured the USA for eight years before returning to Trinity College Cambridge until probably his death in 1970. He was appointed Lecturer in the Faculty of Mathematics, and therefore received recognition as a Cambridge MA by 'Special Grace' on 24 November 1928. He worked mainly on combinatorial methods and questions in real analysis
, such as the Kakeya needle problem
and the Hausdorff-Besicovitch dimension. These two particular areas have proved increasingly important as the years have gone by.
He was also a major influence on the economist Piero Sraffa
, after 1940, when they were both Fellows of Trinity College
, and on Dennis Lindley
, one of the founders of the Bayesian
movement in the United Kingdom. He was J.E. Littlewood's
successor in 1950 in the Rouse Ball chair
at Cambridge
, retiring in 1958. He died in Cambridge.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n 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....
, who worked mainly in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was born in Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
(now in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) to a Karaite
Karaite Judaism
Karaite Judaism or Karaism is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh alone as its supreme legal authority in Halakhah, as well as in theology...
family.
Life and career
He studied under A. A. Markov at the St. Petersburg University, graduating with a PhD in 1912. He then began research in probability theoryProbability theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either be single...
. He converted to Eastern Orthodoxy, joining the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
, on marrying in 1916. He was appointed professor at the University of Perm
Perm State University
Perm State University or PSU is located in the city of Perm, Perm Krai, Russia. Founded in 1916, it claims to be one of the oldest universities in the Ural and eastern territories of Russia. Its current rector is Igor Makarikhin.-History:...
in 1917, and was caught up in the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
over the next two years. In 1920 he took a position at the Petrograd University
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....
.
In 1924 he went to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and Harald Bohr
Harald Bohr
Harald August Bohr was a Danish mathematician and football player. After receiving his doctorate in 1910, Bohr became an eminent mathematician, founding the field of almost periodic functions. His brother was the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr...
, on a Rockefeller Fellowship, where he worked on almost periodic function
Almost periodic function
In mathematics, an almost periodic function is, loosely speaking, a function of a real number that is periodic to within any desired level of accuracy, given suitably long, well-distributed "almost-periods". The concept was first studied by Harald Bohr and later generalized by Vyacheslav Stepanov,...
s, which now bear his name. After a visit to G.H. Hardy in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, he had appointments at Liverpool University in 1926, and the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1927.
After moving to Cambridge in 1927, and by 1950 he had been appointed to the Rouse Ball Chair of Mathematics, which he held until his retirement in 1958, he then toured the USA for eight years before returning to Trinity College Cambridge until probably his death in 1970. He was appointed Lecturer in the Faculty of Mathematics, and therefore received recognition as a Cambridge MA by 'Special Grace' on 24 November 1928. He worked mainly on combinatorial methods and questions in real analysis
Real analysis
Real analysis, is a branch of mathematical analysis dealing with the set of real numbers and functions of a real variable. In particular, it deals with the analytic properties of real functions and sequences, including convergence and limits of sequences of real numbers, the calculus of the real...
, such as the Kakeya needle problem
Kakeya needle problem
In mathematics, a Kakeya set, or Besicovitch set, is any set of points in Euclidean space which contains a unit line segment in every direction. While many types of objects satisfy this property, several interesting results and questions are motivated by considering how small such sets can be...
and the Hausdorff-Besicovitch dimension. These two particular areas have proved increasingly important as the years have gone by.
He was also a major influence on the economist Piero Sraffa
Piero Sraffa
Piero Sraffa was an influential Italian economist whose book Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities is taken as founding the Neo-Ricardian school of Economics.- Early life :...
, after 1940, when they were both Fellows of Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, and on Dennis Lindley
Dennis Lindley
Dennis Victor Lindley is a British statistician, decision theorist and leading advocate of Bayesian statistics.Dennis Lindley grew up in the south-west London suburb of Surbiton. He was an only child and his father was a local building contractor...
, one of the founders of the Bayesian
Bayesian inference
In statistics, Bayesian inference is a method of statistical inference. It is often used in science and engineering to determine model parameters, make predictions about unknown variables, and to perform model selection...
movement in the United Kingdom. He was J.E. Littlewood's
John Edensor Littlewood
John Edensor Littlewood was a British mathematician, best known for the results achieved in collaboration with G. H. Hardy.-Life:...
successor in 1950 in the Rouse Ball chair
Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics
The Rouse Ball Professorship of Mathematics is one of the senior chairs in the Mathematics Departments at the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. The two positions were founded in 1927 by a bequest from the mathematician W. W. Rouse Ball...
at Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, retiring in 1958. He died in Cambridge.