Élisabeth Lutz (May 14, 1914 – July 31, 2008) 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, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

. The Nagell–Lutz theorem in Diophantine geometry describes the torsion points of

elliptic curve In mathematics, an elliptic curve is a smooth, projective, algebraic curve of genus one, on which there is a specified point . An elliptic curve is defined over a field and describes points in , the Cartesian product of with itself. If the ...

s; it is named after Lutz and Trygve Nagell, who both published it in the 1930s. Lutz was a student of

André Weil André Weil (; ; 6 May 1906 – 6 August 1998) was a French mathematician, known for his foundational work in number theory and algebraic geometry. He was one of the most influential mathematicians of the twentieth century. His influence is du ...

at the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. Founded in the 16th century by Johannes Sturm, it was a center of intellectual life during ...

, from 1934 to 1938. She earned a

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

for her research for him, on

s over

p

-adic fields. She completed her doctorate (''thèse d’état'') on

p

-adic

Diophantine approximation In number theory, the study of Diophantine approximation deals with the approximation of real numbers by rational numbers. It is named after Diophantus of Alexandria. The first problem was to know how well a real number can be approximated ...

at the

University of Grenoble The (, ''Grenoble Alps University'', abbr. UGA) is a Grands établissements, ''grand établissement'' in Grenoble, France. Founded in 1339, it is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 researchers. Es ...

in 1951 under the supervision of Claude Chabauty; her dissertation was ''Sur les approximations diophantiennes linéaires

p

-adiques''. She became a professor of mathematics at the

Selected publications

References

1914 births 2008 deaths French number theorists 20th-century French mathematicians 21st-century French mathematicians 20th-century French women mathematicians 20th-century French women scientists University of Strasbourg alumni Grenoble Alpes University alumni Academic staff of Grenoble Alpes University 21st-century French women mathematicians {{France-mathematician-stub