Samuil Osipovich Shatunovsky (russian: Самуил Осипович Шатуновский; 25 March 1859 – 27 March 1929) was a Russian
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 was born in Velyka Znamianka,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
in a poor Jewish family as the 9th child. He completed secondary education in
Kherson
Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers appr ...
, Ukraine; then studied for a year in
Rostov
Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:
While t ...
, Russia and moved to
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
seeking university degree. There he studied in several technical universities. Engineering however did not attract Shatunovsky and he dedicated himself to mathematics, voluntarily attending lectures by
Chebyshev
Pafnuty Lvovich Chebyshev ( rus, Пафну́тий Льво́вич Чебышёв, p=pɐfˈnutʲɪj ˈlʲvovʲɪtɕ tɕɪbɨˈʂof) ( – ) was a Russian mathematician and considered to be the founding father of Russian mathematics.
Chebyshe ...
. Shatunovsky could not complete any university program due to lack of funds. He later attempted to obtain a university degree in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, but failed for the same reason. After returning from Switzerland, he lived in small Russian towns, earning by private lessons. In the meantime, he wrote his first mathematical papers and sent some of them to
Odessa University
Odesa I. I. Mechnykov National University ( uk, Одеський національний університет Iмені І. І. Мечникова, translit=Odeskyi natsionalnyi universytet imeni I. I. Mechnykova), located in Odesa, Ukraine, i ...
. Their quality was acknowledged; Shatunovsky was admitted to the university, received financial support, obtained a degree and was appointed as staff member in 1905. In 1917, he became a professor and continued working at the Odessa University through the rest of his life.
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 algebra
Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics.
Elementary a ...
, such as 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 ...
, number theory
Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and arithmetic function, integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777 ...
and geometry
Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...
. Independently from Hilbert
David Hilbert (; ; 23 January 1862 – 14 February 1943) was a German mathematician, one of the most influential mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many a ...
, he developed a similar axiomatic theory
In mathematics and logic, an axiomatic system is any Set (mathematics), set of axioms from which some or all axioms can be used in conjunction to logically derive theorems. A Theory (mathematical logic), theory is a consistent, relatively-self-co ...
and applied it in geometry, algebra, Galois theory
In mathematics, Galois theory, originally introduced by Évariste Galois, provides a connection between field theory and group theory. This connection, the fundamental theorem of Galois theory, allows reducing certain problems in field theory to ...
and analysis.[ However, most of his activity was devoted to teaching at Odessa University and writing associated books and study materials.][
Shatunovsky died in 1929 from stomach cancer two days after his 70th birthday. Despite severe pain associated with his illness, he kept his usual sense of humor and continued to lecture almost until the day he died. He was remembered by his students and colleagues for his original approach to mathematical problems and ability to popularize the most complex mathematical ideas.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shatunovsky, Samuil
1859 births
1929 deaths
Ukrainian Jews
Members of the Grand Orient of Russia's Peoples
Ukrainian mathematicians