David Hilbert

David Hilbert

Mathematics has been around for a long time. There have been many people who have contributed to it as well. David Hilbert is one of those people. He has made many contributions to the math world. Many of which were very important.

David Hilbert was born January 23, 1862 and died on February 14, 1943. He was a German mathematician and he was born in Konigsberg, Prussia. This is now Kaliningrad, Russia.

David Hilbert attended the gymnasium in his home town. After he graduated we went to the University of Konigsberg. At the university he studied under Lindemann for his doctorate. He received his doctorate in 1885. After he graduated he then became a member of the staff at the university from 1886 to 1895. Until 1892 he worked being a Privatdozent. For one year he worked as an Extraordinary Professor and then a full professor in 1893. In 1895 he was appointed to the chair of mathematics at the University of Gottingen. He taught here for the rest of his career, but in 1902 he was offered to work at the University of Berlin. He turned it down.

Hilbert had many contributions to mathematics. First of all he solved several important problems in the theory of invariants. Also is basis theorem solved the principle problem in the 19th century invariant theory. He did this by showing that any form of a given number of variables and of a given degree has a finite and still a complete system of independent rational integral invariants and covariant. Another thing he did was unify the field of algebraic number theory. He also provided the first correct and complete axiomatization of Euclidean geometry. It replaced Euclid's axiomatization of geometry from his 1899 book. Hilbert has also laid the foundations of functional analysis by studying integral equations and formulating a first version, in terms of quadratic forms, in infinitely many variables. This came to be known as Hilbert space. This was also foundational for quantum mechanics in the 1920's.

Hilbert was a very intelligent man and contributed too many things in math. One of the last things he did was put forth an influential list of 23 unsolved problems at the International Congress of Mathematics in Paris in 1900. In his later years he unfortunately saw the end of the great mathematical dynasty at the University of Gottingen. The Nazis purged many of the prominent faculty