Enrico Betti

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Enrico Betti

Enrico Betti (born October 21, 1823 in Pistoia / Tuscany , † August 11, 1892 in Soiana ) was an Italian mathematician and engineer .

Live and act

He became known for his work on topology , published in 1871 , which later led to the Betti numbers named after him (by Henri Poincaré ) . This work had a significant influence on Poincaré's later work on algebraic topology. In addition, he dealt with algebraic equations and especially the Galois theory , which he was the first to present in strict mathematical form (from 1851). However, some of his evidence was later found to be flawed. He also examined solutions to the fifth degree equation using elliptic functions.

Enrico Betti studied mathematics and physics at the University of Pisa . He graduated in mathematics in 1846 with Ottaviano Fabrizio Mossotti (1791–1863) and then became an assistant at the university. In 1849 he became a teacher in his hometown of Pistoia and then in Florence , before becoming professor of higher algebra at the University of Pisa in 1857. In 1858, together with Francesco Brioschi and Felice Casorati, he visited the leading mathematical centers in Europe at that time, Paris , Berlin and Göttingen . During the trip he met Riemann in Göttingen and became friends with him. He later invited Riemann to Italy several times, which he gladly accepted because of his illness, for example he visited Betti in 1863. In 1859 he became professor for higher geometry and analysis in Pisa , where he was temporarily also rector and from 1864 director of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, which he made the leading mathematical research institute in Italy. He was also active in teaching reform and advocated the use of Euclid in schools - with Brioschi he made a new translation. His later scientific activity took place in the field of applied mathematics (e.g. elasticity theory, potential theory) (influenced by discussions with Riemann) and accordingly he switched to the professorship for theoretical physics in 1864 as the successor to his teacher Mossotti and in 1870 to the chair of Celestial mechanics. Ulisse Dini took over his analysis chair .

Betti formulated Betti's sentence , which is important for structural engineering and which deals with the work of forces in static systems.

Betti was enthusiastic, not least because of the influence of his teacher and mentor Mossotti, in addition to the academic work also for Italy's struggle for independence against Austria. He joined Mossotti's battalion as a student and fought alongside him in the battles of Curtatone and Montanara . Later he was also active as a politician and in 1862 became an Italian Member of Parliament. In 1874 he was briefly State Secretary in the Ministry of Education. In 1884 he became a senator.

Betti was a member of several science academies; In 1881 he was elected a corresponding member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Walter Schnell, Dietmar Gross, Werner Hauger: Technical Mechanics. Volume 2: Elastostatics. 5th edition. Springer, 1995, ISBN 3-540-58696-2 , p. 200
  2. ^ Members of the previous academies. Enrico Betti. Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities , accessed on February 22, 2015 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Betti, Enrico
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian mathematician and engineer
DATE OF BIRTH October 21, 1823
PLACE OF BIRTH Pistoia , Tuscany
DATE OF DEATH August 11, 1892
Place of death Soiana