| A Lost Mathematician, Takeo Nakasawa: The Forgotten Father of Matroid Theory 2009 Edition Contributor(s): Nishimura, Hirokazu (Editor), Kuroda, Susumu (Editor) |
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ISBN: 3764385723 ISBN-13: 9783764385729 Publisher: Birkhauser OUR PRICE: $52.24 Product Type: Hardcover Published: January 2009 Annotation: Matroid theory was invented independently by two mathematicians in the middle of the 1930a (TM)s, namely, Hassler Whitney in USA and Takeo Nakasawa in Japan. The former is famous, but unfortunately the latter had remained anonymous until two decades ago. The latter is still less known than the former. The book consists of four parts. The first part consists of his four German papers, which were published in the same journal issued by a Japanese extinct university. The second part consists of their English translations. The third part is devoted to an explanation of Nakasawaa (TM)s life and his times. The fourth part deals with the comparison between the two fathers of matroid theory. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Mathematics | History & Philosophy |
| Dewey: 511.6 |
| LCCN: 2008939300 |
| Series: Science Networks: Historical Studies |
| Physical Information: 0.7" H x 6.6" W x 9.2" (1.30 lbs) 236 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Matroid theory was invented in the middle of the 1930s by two mathematicians independently, namely, Hassler Whitney in the USA and Takeo Nakasawa in Japan. Whitney became famous, but Nakasawa remained anonymous until two decades ago. He left only four papers to the mathematical community, all of them written in the middle of the 1930s. It was a bad time to have lived in a country that had become as eccentric as possible. Just as Nazism became more and more flamboyant in Europe in the 1930s, Japan became more and more esoteric and fanatical in the same time period. This book explains the little that is known about Nakasawa's personal life in a Japan that had, among other failures, lost control over its military. This book contains his four papers in German and their English translations as well as some extended commentary on the history of Japan during those years. The book also contains 14 photos of him or his family. Although the veil of mystery surrounding Nakasawa's life has only been partially lifted, the work presented in this book speaks eloquently of a tragic loss to the mathematical community. |