Włodzimierz Stożek (23 July 1883 – 3 or 4 July 1941) was a Polish

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 ...

of the

Lwów School of Mathematics The Lwów school of mathematics () was a group of Polish mathematicians who worked in the interwar period in Lwów, Poland (since 1945 Lviv, Ukraine). The mathematicians often met at the famous Scottish Café to discuss mathematical problems, ...

. Head of the Mathematics Faculty on the

Lwów University of Technology Lviv Polytechnic National University () is a public university in Lviv, Ukraine, founded in 1816. According to the Times Higher Education, as of 2024, it ranks first as a technical institution of higher education and second among all instit ...

. He was arrested and murdered together with his two sons: the 29-year-old engineer Eustachy and 24-year-old Emanuel, graduate of the Institute of Technology by

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

on 3 or 4 July in

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, during the Massacre of Lviv professors. In December 1944,

Stefan Banach Stefan Banach ( ; 30 March 1892 – 31 August 1945) was a Polish mathematician who is generally considered one of the 20th century's most important and influential mathematicians. He was the founder of modern functional analysis, and an original ...

wrote the following tribute to Stożek: :Professor Włodzimierz Stożek was an outstanding mathematician, the author of numerous papers on the theory of

integral equation In mathematical analysis, integral equations are equations in which an unknown function appears under an integral sign. In mathematical notation, integral equations may thus be expressed as being of the form: f(x_1,x_2,x_3,\ldots,x_n ; u(x_1,x_2 ...

potential theory In mathematics and mathematical physics, potential theory is the study of harmonic functions. The term "potential theory" was coined in 19th-century physics when it was realized that the two fundamental forces of nature known at the time, namely g ...

, as well as on many other branches of mathematics. His work is widely known in Poland and also abroad. He had a very charming personality and was a distinguished scholar, beloved by his young students as someone with a very caring heart. He was always ready to assist anyone who asked for his help. He took little notice of nationality differences. Those of us who were close to him and knew him well now esteem even more highly his enlightened personality and great cultural contributions. He will be remembered as a great intellectual who loved all of humanity and served it faithfully.

References

* Emilia Jakimowicz and Adam Miranowicz (2011) ''Stefan Banach: Remarkable Life, Brilliant Mathematics'', 3rd edition, page 25, Gdańsk University Press, .

External links

* 1883 births Lwów School of Mathematics Victims of the Massacre of Lwów professors Lviv Polytechnic alumni People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria People from Zhovkva 1941 deaths {{Poland-mathematician-stub