Vera T. Sós
Encyclopedia
Vera T. Sós is a Hungarian
mathematician
, specializing in number theory
and combinatorics
. She was a student and close collaborator of both Paul Erdős
and Alfréd Rényi
. She also collaborated frequently with her husband Paul Turán, the famous analyst, number theorist, and combinatorist (the letter T in her name stands for Turán). Until 1987, she worked at the Department of Analysis at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest.
Since then, she has been employed by the Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics
. She was elected a corresponding member (1985), member (1990) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
. In 1997, Sós was awarded the prestigious Széchenyi Prize
.
One of her results is the Kővári–Sós–Turán theorem
concerning the maximum possible number of edges in a bipartite graph
that does not contain certain complete
subgraphs.
Another is the following so-called friendship theorem
proved with Paul Erdõs
and Alfréd Rényi
: if, in a finite graph, any two vertices have exactly one common neighbor, then some vertex is joined to all others. In number theory, Sós proved the three distance theorem, conjectured by Hugo Steinhaus
.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
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....
, specializing in number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
and combinatorics
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
. She was a student and close collaborator of both Paul Erdős
Paul Erdos
Paul Erdős was a Hungarian mathematician. Erdős published more papers than any other mathematician in history, working with hundreds of collaborators. He worked on problems in combinatorics, graph theory, number theory, classical analysis, approximation theory, set theory, and probability theory...
and Alfréd Rényi
Alfréd Rényi
Alfréd Rényi was a Hungarian mathematician who made contributions in combinatorics, graph theory, number theory but mostly in probability theory.-Life:...
. She also collaborated frequently with her husband Paul Turán, the famous analyst, number theorist, and combinatorist (the letter T in her name stands for Turán). Until 1987, she worked at the Department of Analysis at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest.
Since then, she has been employed by the Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics
Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics
The Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics is the research institute in mathematics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. It was created in 1950 by Alfréd Rényi, who directed it until his death. Since its creation, the institute has been the center of mathematical research in Hungary. It received...
. She was elected a corresponding member (1985), member (1990) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
. In 1997, Sós was awarded the prestigious Széchenyi Prize
Széchenyi Prize
The Széchenyi Prize , named after István Széchenyi, is a prize given in Hungary by the state, replacing the former State Prize in 1990 in recognition of those who have made an outstanding contribution to academic life in Hungary.-External links:*...
.
One of her results is the Kővári–Sós–Turán theorem
Zarankiewicz problem
In the mathematical field of extremal graph theory, the Zarankiewicz problem asks how many edges can be added to a bipartite graph while avoiding a specific bipartite subgraph...
concerning the maximum possible number of edges in a bipartite graph
Bipartite graph
In the mathematical field of graph theory, a bipartite graph is a graph whose vertices can be divided into two disjoint sets U and V such that every edge connects a vertex in U to one in V; that is, U and V are independent sets...
that does not contain certain complete
Complete bipartite graph
In the mathematical field of graph theory, a complete bipartite graph or biclique is a special kind of bipartite graph where every vertex of the first set is connected to every vertex of the second set.- Definition :...
subgraphs.
Another is the following so-called friendship theorem
Friendship graph
In the mathematical field of graph theory, the friendship graph Fn is a planar undirected graph with 2n+1 vertices and 3n edges....
proved with Paul Erdõs
Paul Erdos
Paul Erdős was a Hungarian mathematician. Erdős published more papers than any other mathematician in history, working with hundreds of collaborators. He worked on problems in combinatorics, graph theory, number theory, classical analysis, approximation theory, set theory, and probability theory...
and Alfréd Rényi
Alfréd Rényi
Alfréd Rényi was a Hungarian mathematician who made contributions in combinatorics, graph theory, number theory but mostly in probability theory.-Life:...
: if, in a finite graph, any two vertices have exactly one common neighbor, then some vertex is joined to all others. In number theory, Sós proved the three distance theorem, conjectured by Hugo Steinhaus
Hugo Steinhaus
Władysław Hugo Dionizy Steinhaus was a Polish mathematician and educator. Steinhaus obtained his PhD under David Hilbert at Göttingen University in 1911 and later became a professor at the University of Lwów, where he helped establish what later became known as the Lwów School of Mathematics...
.