Richard Courant
Encyclopedia
Richard Courant was a German
American mathematician
.
in the German Empire
's Prussian
Province of Silesia
. During his youth, his parents had to move quite often, to Glatz, Breslau, and in 1905 to Berlin
. He stayed in Breslau and entered the university there. As he found the courses not demanding enough, he continued his studies in Zürich
and Göttingen. Courant eventually became David Hilbert
's assistant in Göttingen and obtained his doctorate there in 1910. He had to fight in World War I
, but he was wounded and dismissed from the military service shortly after enlisting. After the war, in 1919, he married Nerina (Nina) Runge, a daughter of the Göttingen professor for Applied Mathematics, Carl Runge. Richard continued his research in Göttingen, with a two-year period as professor in Münster
. There he founded the Mathematical Institute, which he headed as director from 1928 until 1933.
Courant left Germany
in 1933, earlier than many of his colleagues. While he was classified as a Jew by the Nazis, his having served as a front-line soldier exempted him from losing his position for this particular reason at the time; however, his public membership in the social-democratic left
was a reason for dismissal to which no such exemption applied.http://www-irma.u-strasbg.fr/~schappa/GoeNS.pdf
After one year in Cambridge
, Courant went to New York City
where he became a professor at New York University
in 1936. He was given the task of founding an institute for graduate studies in applied mathematics
, a task which he carried out very successfully. The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
(as it was renamed in 1964) continues to be one of the most respected research centers in applied mathematics
.
Apart from his outstanding organizational talent, Courant is well remembered for his mathematical achievements. He and David Hilbert
authored the influential textbook
Methods of Mathematical Physics, which is still widely used more than eighty years after it was written. He was the co-author, with Herbert Robbins
, of a popularization titled What is Mathematics?
, which is still in print. His name is also attached to the finite element method
, later reinvented by engineers. Courant gave this a solid mathematical basis. This method is now one of the ways to solve partial differential equation
s numerically
. Courant is a namesake of the Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy condition
and the Courant minimax principle
.
Courant died in New Rochelle, NY. Richard and Nerina had four children. Ernest
is a particle physicist
and innovator in particle accelerators, Gertrude (*1922) is a PhD biologist and was wife of the mathematician Jürgen Moser
(1928–1999), Hans is a physicist who participated in the Manhattan Project
, and Leonore, a professional musician, was wife of the mathematician Jerome Berkowitz (1928–1998).
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
American 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....
.
Life
Courant was born in LublinitzLubliniec
Lubliniec is a town in southern Poland with 29,359 inhabitants . It is the capital of Lubliniec County, part of Silesian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Częstochowa Voivodeship .-Geography:...
in the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
's Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
Province of Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
. During his youth, his parents had to move quite often, to Glatz, Breslau, and in 1905 to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He stayed in Breslau and entered the university there. As he found the courses not demanding enough, he continued his studies in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
and Göttingen. Courant eventually became David Hilbert
David Hilbert
David Hilbert was a German mathematician. He is recognized as one of the most influential and universal mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many areas, including invariant theory and the axiomatization of...
's assistant in Göttingen and obtained his doctorate there in 1910. He had to fight in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, but he was wounded and dismissed from the military service shortly after enlisting. After the war, in 1919, he married Nerina (Nina) Runge, a daughter of the Göttingen professor for Applied Mathematics, Carl Runge. Richard continued his research in Göttingen, with a two-year period as professor in Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
. There he founded the Mathematical Institute, which he headed as director from 1928 until 1933.
Courant left Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in 1933, earlier than many of his colleagues. While he was classified as a Jew by the Nazis, his having served as a front-line soldier exempted him from losing his position for this particular reason at the time; however, his public membership in the social-democratic left
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
was a reason for dismissal to which no such exemption applied.http://www-irma.u-strasbg.fr/~schappa/GoeNS.pdf
After one year in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Courant went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he became a professor at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1936. He was given the task of founding an institute for graduate studies in applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
, a task which he carried out very successfully. The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences is an independent division of New York University under the Faculty of Arts & Science that serves as a center for research and advanced training in computer science and mathematics...
(as it was renamed in 1964) continues to be one of the most respected research centers in applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
.
Apart from his outstanding organizational talent, Courant is well remembered for his mathematical achievements. He and David Hilbert
David Hilbert
David Hilbert was a German mathematician. He is recognized as one of the most influential and universal mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many areas, including invariant theory and the axiomatization of...
authored the influential textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
Methods of Mathematical Physics, which is still widely used more than eighty years after it was written. He was the co-author, with Herbert Robbins
Herbert Robbins
Herbert Ellis Robbins was an American mathematician and statistician who did research in topology, measure theory, statistics, and a variety of other fields. He was the co-author, with Richard Courant, of What is Mathematics?, a popularization that is still in print. The Robbins lemma, used in...
, of a popularization titled What is Mathematics?
What is Mathematics?
What Is Mathematics? is a mathematics book written by Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins, published in England by Oxford University Press. It is an introduction to mathematics, intended both for the mathematics student and for the general public....
, which is still in print. His name is also attached to the finite element method
Finite element method
The finite element method is a numerical technique for finding approximate solutions of partial differential equations as well as integral equations...
, later reinvented by engineers. Courant gave this a solid mathematical basis. This method is now one of the ways to solve partial differential equation
Partial differential equation
In mathematics, partial differential equations are a type of differential equation, i.e., a relation involving an unknown function of several independent variables and their partial derivatives with respect to those variables...
s numerically
Numerical analysis
Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation for the problems of mathematical analysis ....
. Courant is a namesake of the Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy condition
Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy condition
In mathematics, the Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy condition is a necessary condition for convergence while solving certain partial differential equations numerically by the method of finite differences. It arises when explicit time-marching schemes are used for the numerical solution...
and the Courant minimax principle
Courant minimax principle
In mathematics, the Courant minimax principle gives the eigenvalues of a real symmetric matrix. It is named after Richard Courant.-Introduction:The Courant minimax principle gives a condition for finding the eigenvalues for a real symmetric matrix...
.
Courant died in New Rochelle, NY. Richard and Nerina had four children. Ernest
Ernest Courant
Ernest Courant has been called the "father of modern particle accelerators". A fundamental contributor to the field, he has also been mentor to several generations of students...
is a particle physicist
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
and innovator in particle accelerators, Gertrude (*1922) is a PhD biologist and was wife of the mathematician Jürgen Moser
Jürgen Moser
Jürgen Kurt Moser or Juergen Kurt Moser was a German-American mathematician.-Professional biography:...
(1928–1999), Hans is a physicist who participated in the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
, and Leonore, a professional musician, was wife of the mathematician Jerome Berkowitz (1928–1998).
Perspective on mathematics
Commenting upon his analysis of experimental results from in-laboratory soap film formations, Courant believed that the existence of a physical solution does not obviate the need for mathematical proof. Here is a quote from Courant on his mathematical perspective:Books
- Differential and Integral Calculus ISBN 4871878384 , ISBN 487187835X
- Methods of Mathematical Physics, 2 volumes
- What is Mathematics?
External links
- Biographical memoir – by Peter LaxPeter LaxPeter David Lax is a mathematician working in the areas of pure and applied mathematics. He has made important contributions to integrable systems, fluid dynamics and shock waves, solitonic physics, hyperbolic conservation laws, and mathematical and scientific computing, among other fields...
- Oral History interview transcript with Richard Courant 9 May 1962, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives