Gustav de Vries (22 January 1866 – 16 December 1934) was a Dutch

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 ...

, who is best remembered for his work on the Korteweg–de Vries equation with

Diederik Korteweg Diederik Johannes Korteweg (31 March 1848 – 10 May 1941) was a Dutch mathematician. He is now best remembered for his work on the Korteweg–de Vries equation, together with Gustav de Vries. Early life and education Diederik Korteweg's father ...

. He was born on 22 January 1866 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, and studied at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

with the distinguished physical chemist

Johannes van der Waals Johannes Diderik van der Waals (; 23 November 1837 – 8 March 1923) was a Dutch theoretical physics, theoretical physicist and thermodynamicist famous for his pioneering work on the equation of state for gases and liquids. Van der Waals starte ...

and with Korteweg. While doing his doctoral research De Vries supported himself by teaching at the Royal Military Academy in

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

(1892-1893) and at the "cadettenschool" in

Alkmaar Alkmaar () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland, about 30 km north of Amsterdam. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination. The ...

(1893-1894). Under Korteweg's supervision De Vries completed his doctoral dissertation: ''Bijdrage tot de kennis der lange golven,'' (Contributions to the knowledge of long waves) Acad. proefschrift, Universiteit van Amsterdam, 1894, 95 pp, Loosjes, Haarlem. The following year Korteweg and De Vries published the research paper ''On the Change of Form of Long Waves advancing in a Rectangular Canal and on a New Type of Long Stationary Waves,'' Philosophical Magazine, 5th series, 39, 1895, pp. 422–443. In 1894 De Vries worked as a high school teacher at the "HBS en Handelsschool" in

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

, where he remained until his retirement in 1931. He died in Haarlem on 16 December 1934. The

Korteweg-de Vries Institute for Mathematics The Korteweg-de Vries Institute for Mathematics (KdVI) is the institute for mathematical research at the University of Amsterdam. The KdVI is located in Amsterdam at the Amsterdam Science Park. Robbert Dijkgraaf, Alexander Schrijver, Nicolai Resh ...

is named after him.

External links

* * 1866 births 1934 deaths 19th-century Dutch mathematicians Scientists from Amsterdam Academic staff of the University of Amsterdam 20th-century Dutch mathematicians Fluid dynamicists {{Europe-mathematician-stub

See also

Further reading

External links