Mihailo Petrović Alas

Mihailo Petrović Alas (Serbian Cyrillic: Михаило Петровић Алас; 6 May 1868 – 8 June 1943), was a Serbianmathematician, inventor, university professor and academic. He was a distinguished professor at Belgrade University, an academic, philosopher, writer, publicist, musician, businessman, traveler and volunteer in the Balkan Wars, the First and Second World Wars and licensed fisherman by trade (hence "Alas" ie "fisherman on the rivers" nickname).

He was a student of Henri Poincaré, Paul Painlevé, Charles Hermite and Émile Picard. Petrović contributed significantly to the study of differential equations and phenomenology, founded engineering mathematics in Serbia, and invented one of the first prototypes of a hydraulic analog computer.