Émile Léonard Mathieu (; 15 May 1835, in
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
– 19 October 1890, in
Nancy) was a French
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
.
He is known for his work in
group theory
In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as group (mathematics), groups.
The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as ring (mathematics), rings, field ...
and
mathematical physics
Mathematical physics refers to the development of mathematics, mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The ''Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and t ...
. He has given his name to the
Mathieu function
In mathematics, Mathieu functions, sometimes called angular Mathieu functions, are solutions of Mathieu's differential equation
:
\frac + (a - 2q\cos(2x))y = 0,
where a and q are parameters. They were first introduced by Émile Léonard Mathieu, ...
s,
Mathieu group
In group theory, a topic in abstract algebra, the Mathieu groups are the five sporadic simple groups ''M''11, ''M''12, ''M''22, ''M''23 and ''M''24 introduced by . They are multiply transitive permutation groups on 11, 12, 22, 23 or 24 obje ...
s and
Mathieu transformation The Mathieu transformations make up a subgroup of canonical transformations preserving the differential form
:\sum_i p_i \delta q_i=\sum_i P_i \delta Q_i \,
The transformation is named after the French mathematician Émile Léonard Mathieu.
De ...
. He authored a treatise of mathematical physics in 6 volumes.
Volume 1 is an exposition of the techniques to solve the
differential equations
In mathematics, a differential equation is an equation that relates one or more unknown functions and their derivatives. In applications, the functions generally represent physical quantities, the derivatives represent their rates of change, an ...
of mathematical physics,
and contains an account of the applications of
Mathieu functions
In mathematics, Mathieu functions, sometimes called angular Mathieu functions, are solutions of Mathieu's differential equation
:
\frac + (a - 2q\cos(2x))y = 0,
where a and q are parameters. They were first introduced by Émile Léonard Mathieu, ...
to
electrostatics
Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies electric charges at rest (static electricity).
Since classical times, it has been known that some materials, such as amber, attract lightweight particles after rubbing. The Greek word for amber ...
.
Volume 2 deals with
capillarity
Capillary action (sometimes called capillarity, capillary motion, capillary rise, capillary effect, or wicking) is the process of a liquid flowing in a narrow space without the assistance of, or even in opposition to, any external forces li ...
. Volumes 3 and 4 deal with
electrostatics
Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies electric charges at rest (static electricity).
Since classical times, it has been known that some materials, such as amber, attract lightweight particles after rubbing. The Greek word for amber ...
and
magnetostatics
Magnetostatics is the study of magnetic fields in systems where the currents are steady (not changing with time). It is the magnetic analogue of electrostatics, where the electric charge, charges are stationary. The magnetization need not be st ...
.
Volume 5 deals with
electrodynamics
In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of a ...
, and volume 6 with
elasticity. The
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
27947 Emilemathieu was named in his honour.
Books by Émile Mathieu
Traité de physique mathématique (6 vols.)(Gauthier-Villars, 1873-1890)
Dynamique Analytique(Gauthier-Villars, 1878)
References
External links
*
19th-century French mathematicians
1835 births
1890 deaths
École Polytechnique alumni
Group theorists
{{France-mathematician-stub