Elena Freda (25 March 1890 – 25 November 1978) was an Italian mathematician and mathematical physicist known for her collaboration with Vito Volterra on

mathematical analysis Analysis is the branch of mathematics dealing with continuous functions, limit (mathematics), limits, and related theories, such as Derivative, differentiation, Integral, integration, measure (mathematics), measure, infinite sequences, series (m ...

and its applications to

electromagnetism 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

biomathematics Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical models and abstractions of the living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, development a ...

Life

Freda was born on 25 March 1890. She studied projective geometry with

Guido Castelnuovo Guido Castelnuovo (14 August 1865 – 27 April 1952) was an Italian mathematician. He is best known for his contributions to the field of algebraic geometry, though his contributions to the study of statistics and probability theory are also signi ...

at the Sapienza University of Rome, graduating in 1912, but then shifted her interests to

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 ...

, working with Orso Mario Corbino and earning a second degree in physics from Sapienza University in 1915. Her earliest documented connection to Vito Volterra is also from 1915, in the form of a letter from Freda to Volterra with the date 23 September 1915, describing her work. Italy entered World War I in 1915, on the side of the Allied Powers. This was something that Volterra had strongly advocated, and he enlisted for the war effort, bringing with him students including Freda to assist him in

ballistics Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets or the like; the science or art of designing and a ...

calculations. A letter from her to Volterra from 1915 discusses the difficulties of spending days on calculations on "millimetered paper". After the war, Freda earned a

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

(''libera docenza'') in physics in 1918, and was appointed as a docent in mathematical physics at Sapienza University in 1919; her habilitation was confirmed in 1929. She taught courses in mathematical physics and rational mechanics at the

University of Messina The University of Messina ( it, Università degli Studi di Messina; Latin: ''Studiorum Universitas Messanae''), known colloquially as UniME, is a state university located in Messina, Sicily, Italy. Founded in 1548 by Pope Paul III, it was the world ...

in 1923–1924, but then, with uncertain continued career prospects in Messina, returned to Rome. She taught there for the rest of her career until retiring from teaching in 1959, under the mandatory retirement rules then in place. She died on 25 November 1978 in Rome.

Research

Freda's initial publications were in projective geometry, but by 1915 her interests had already begun shifting to mathematical analysis and mathematical physics, with one publication on Euler's homogeneous function theorem and another applying mathematical analysis to study Corbino's experimental work in electromagnetics. She continued publishing works on the analysis of electromagnetics into the 1920s. Her early work in analysis was already inspired by Volterra, who presented one of her results to the

Accademia dei Lincei The Accademia dei Lincei (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed", but anglicised as the Lincean Academy) is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rom ...

in 1916, and a 1921 paper was coauthored with Volterra. She also collaborated in this period with , another female Italian physicist. Her work in mathematical biology, again inspired by Volterra and his work in

population dynamics Population dynamics is the type of mathematics used to model and study the size and age composition of populations as dynamical systems. History Population dynamics has traditionally been the dominant branch of mathematical biology, which has ...

, began in 1927 and in 1931 she published a review of Volterra's work in this area. Her work through the 1930s returned to more purely mathematical studies in analysis. This period includes what has been described as her "greatest work", ''Méthode des caractéristiques pour intégration des équations aux dérivées partielles linéaires hyperboliques'', a 1937 publication in French (under the name Hélène Freda) on the solution of second-order hyperbolic partial differential equations, based on a course of study she gave beginning in 1931, with a preface by Volterra.

Life

Research

References

Further reading