Julius Wolff (18 April 1882 – 8 February 1945) was a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

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 ...

, known for the Denjoy–Wolff theorem and for his boundary version of the

Schwarz lemma In mathematics, the Schwarz lemma, named after Hermann Amandus Schwarz, is a result in complex analysis about holomorphic functions from the open unit disk to itself. The lemma is less celebrated than deeper theorems, such as the Riemann mapping ...

. He perished in the

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concent ...

in 1945, shortly before the camp was liberated. Wolff studied mathematics and physics 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 ...

, where he earned his doctorate in 1908 under Korteweg with thesis ''Dynamen, beschouwd als duale vectoren''. From 1907 to 1917 he taught at secondary and grammar schools in

Meppel Meppel (; Drents: ''Möppelt'') is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It constitutes the southwestern part of the province of Drenthe. Meppel is the smallest municipality in Drenthe, with a total area of about 57 km² (22 sq ...

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

, and

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 ...

. In 1917 Wolff was appointed

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

of differential calculus, theory of functions and higher algebra at the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen in ...

and in 1922 at the

University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

. He was also a statistical advisor for the life insurance company (or co-operative distributive society) "Eigen Hulp," (a predecessor of AEGON) with offices at

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

Publications

* * * *

Gallery

Julius Wolff (1882 – 1945) - Universiteitsmuseum Utrecht.png, Julius Wolff, mathematics teacher in secondary education at

Middelburg, Zeeland Middelburg () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the south-western Netherlands serving as the Capital (political), capital of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

, 1911 Julius Wolff (mathematician) - De nieuwere onderzoekingen op het gebied der algebraïsche oppervlakken. Rede, Amsterdam 1916.jpg, Wolff: ''De nieuwe onderzoekingen op het gebied der algebraïsche oppervlakken. Rede'', Inaugural lecture (Translated title: New research in algebraic surfaces), University of Amsterdam 1916 Julius Wolff (mathematician) - Complexe getallenstelsels. Rede Groningen, 1917.jpg, Wolff: ''Complexe getallenstelsels. Rede'', Inaugural lecture (Translated title: Complex number systems), University of Groningen, 1917 Julius Wolff (mathematician) - Over het subjectieve in de wiskunde. Rede Utrecht 1922 - Groningen, 1922.jpg, Wolff: ''Over het subjectieve in de wiskunde. Rede'', Inaugural lecture (Translated title: About the subjective in mathematics), University of Utrecht 1922 Picone Franel Dandliker Kraitchik Kollros Wolff Straszewicz Zurich1932.tif, Julius Wolff (rightmost in top row) at the

International Congress of Mathematicians The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union (IMU). The Fields Medals, the Nevanlinna Prize (to be rename ...

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

1932 JuliusWolff (1882 – 1945).jpg, Julius Wolff, date unknown Julius Wolff (mathematician) - Betsy Wolff-Gersons - Ernst Wolff - Stolpersteine - Stadhouderslaan 51, Utrecht - 2019.jpg, ''

Stolperstein A (; plural ; literally 'stumbling stone', metaphorically a 'stumbling block') is a sett-size, concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. The project, initiat ...

e'' (brass plates on concrete to commemorate the Jewish victims of the Holocaust) in front of the domicile of Julius Wolff and his family, Stadhouderslaan 51, Utrecht, 2019 Julius Wolff (mathematician) - Former address - Stadhouderslaan 51, Utrecht - 2019.jpg, Address of Julius Wolff and his family, Stadhouderslaan 51, Utrecht, 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolff, Julius (mathematician) 1882 births 1945 deaths 20th-century Dutch mathematicians Dutch Jews who died in the Holocaust People from Nijmegen Dutch people who died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Academic staff of Utrecht University University of Amsterdam alumni Academic staff of the University of Groningen