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William Feller distinguished Croatian-American mathematician - first monograph
A founder of Probability Theory as a scientific discipline
The first monograph about William Feller, distinguished Croatian-American Mathematician, published in Zagreb 2011
William Feller (Zagreb, 7. srpnja 1906. - New York, 14. sječanja 1970.), istaknuti je hrvatsko-američki matematičar, rođen u Hrvatskoj kao Vilibald Srećko Feller. Kao student promjenio je ime u Vilim. Na Sveučilištu u Zagrebu ja završio prve dvije godine studija mateamtike (tj. 4 semestra od ukupno 8, 1923-1925.), i zatim nastavio studij u Göttingenu gdje je 1926. doktorirao kod poznatog matematičara Richarda Couranta. Dio svoje disertacije pripremao je već kao student u Zagrebu. Bio je profesor u Kielu (Njemačka, 1928.-1933.), Copenhagenu (Danska, 1933.-1934.), Stockholmu i u Lundu (Švedska, 1934.-1939.). Godine 1938. oženio se Clarom Nielsen.
Od 1939. živi u SAD-u, zaposlen na sveučilištima Brown, Cornell, a od 1950. na Princetonu kao profesor matematike. Feller je 1934. napisao prikaz poznate knjige Andreja Nikolajeviča Kolmogorova, Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung (Temelji teorije vjerojatnosti), za referativni žurnal Zentralblatt für Mathematik. Jedan je od inicijatora izdavanja uglednog referativnog matematičkog časopisa Mathematical Reviews (1939.), te jedan od prvih glavnih urednika (1944.-1945.). Jedan je od osnivača teorije vjerojatnosti kao znanstvene discipline, najpoznatiji po svojoj monografiji Uvod u teoriju vjerojatnosti i njene primjene u dva dijela, koja se smatra jednim od najboljih matematičkih udžbenika dvadesetog stoljeća. Prevedena je na ruski (predgovor prvom dijelu napisao je Kolmogorov), kineski, španjolski, poljski i mađarski. Oko sto pedeset matematičkih pojmova nosi njegovo ime: Feller process, Feller transition function, Feller semigroup, Feller's property, Feller Brownian motions, Feller's test for explosions, Lindberg-Feller condition, Feller operator, Feller potential, Feller measures, indefinite Krein-Feller differential operators, Kolmogorov-Feller equation, itd.
Na Međunarodnom matematičkom kongresu održanom 1958. u Edinburghu, Feller je održao plenarno predavanje "Neke nove veze između vjerojatnosti i klasične analize". Godine 1966. bio je član međunarodne znanstvene komisije koja je birala kandidate za Fieldsovu medalju na Svjetskom matematičkog kongresu u Moskvi. Feller je bio mentorom sedamnaestero svojih doktoranada. Bio je članom nekoliko nacionalnih akademija: bivše Jugoslavenske (sada Hrvatske) akademije znanosti i umjetnosti u Zagrebu, Kraljevske Danske akademije za umjetnost, Nacionalne akademije znanosti SADa, Američke akademije umjetnosti i znanosti u Bostonu, kao i prestižnih znanstvenih organizacija: Kraljevskog statističkog društva u Londonu i Londonskog matematičkog društva (počasni član). Dobitnik je Nacionalne medalje za znanost 1969. koju mu je 1970. posthumno dodijelio predsjednik SAD-a. Jedan asteroid dobio je njegovo ime 1996.: 21276 Feller (1996 TF5).
Dne 17. srpnja 1953. William Feller je održao predavanje u Zagrebu na hrvatskom jeziku, pod naslovom "Matematička teorija difuzije". Bio je u vezi s rodbinom u Zagrebu, kao i sa svojim kolegama sa Sveučilišta u Zagrebu. Tijekom razdoblja nakon Drugog svjetskog rata Feller je posjetio Zagreb četiri puta: 1953., 1956, 1957. i 1958. Prema Vladimiru Vraniću, profesoru matematike na Sveučilištu u Zagreba, "...ne samo da Vilim Feller nije skrivao svoje hrvatsko podrijetlo, nego se također s njime i ponosio."
William Feller (Zagreb, July 7th, 1906 - New York, January 14th, 1970), outstanding Croatian - American mathematician, born in Croatia as Vilibald Srecko Feller. As a student he simplified the name to Vilim. At the University of Zagreb studied mathematics for the first two years (i.e. the first four semesters out of eight, 1923-1925), and then continued his studies in Göttingen where he earned his doctorate in 1926 under Richard Courant. He prepared a part of his thesis already as a student in Zagreb. Professor in Kiel (Germany, 1928-1933), Copenhagen (Denmark, 1933-1934), Stockholm, and Lund (Sweden, 1934-1939). In 1938 he married Clara Nielsen.
Since 1939 lived in the USA, employed at Universities of Brown, Cornell, and since 1950 at Princeton University as a Eugen Higgins Professor of mathematics. Feller wrote the review of A.N. Kolmogorov's famous book Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung (Foundations of Probability Theory) for Zentralblatt für Mathematik in 1934. One of initiators of editing Mathematical Reviews (1939), and one of its first executive directors (1944-1945). One of the founders of Probability Theory as a scientific discipline, best known for his two volume monograph An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications, which is considered as one of the finest mathematical textbooks of the 20th century. It was translated into Russian (with foreword to Volume 1 written by Kolmogorov), Chinese, Spanish, Polish, and Hungarian. About hundred and fifty mathematical notions bear his name: Feller process, Feller transition function, Feller semigroup, Feller's property, Feller Brownian motions, Feller's test for explosions, Lindeberg-Feller condition, Feller operator, Feller potential, Feller measures, indefinite Krein-Feller differential operators, Kolmogorov-Feller equation, etc.
At the International Congress of Mathematicians held in 1958 in Edinburgh, Feller delivered a plenary talk "Some new connections between probability and classical analysis." In 1966 he was elected to the international scientific committee which had to choose candidates for the 1966 Fields Medal at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Moscow. Feller had 17 PhD students. Member of several national academies: former Yugoslav (now Croatian) Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb, Royal Danish Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, USA, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Boston, and of prestigeous scientific organizations: Royal Statistical Society, London, and The London Mathematical Society (honorary member). Recipient of the 1969 National Medal of Science by the president of the USA (posthumously in 1970). An asteroid was named after him in 1996: 21276 Feller (1996 TF5).
On July 17th 1953 William Feller delivered a lecture in Zagreb in Croatian language, under the title "Matematicka teorija difuzije" (Mathematical theory of diffusion). He was in touch with his relatives in Zagreb, as well as with his colleagues at the University of Zagreb. During the post WWII period Feller visited Zagreb on four occasions: in 1953, 1956, 1957 and 1958. According to Vladimir Vranic, professor of mathematics at the University of Zagreb, "not only that Vilim Feller did not hide his Croatian descent, but he was also proud of it."
Koncem 2011. tiskana je o Felleru monografija kao dvojezično, hrvatsko-englesko izdanje:
Darko Žubrinić: Vilim Feller - istaknuti hrvatsko-američki matematičar / William Feller - Distinguished Croatian-American Mathematician, Graphis, Zagreb 2011
Knjiga ima 109 fotografija, tiskana je na 140 str., tvrdog uveza, B5 formata.
Kontakt
Zainteresirani mogu knjigu naručiti kod izdavača (Graphis) na
Predgovor, Sažetak i Prošireni sažetak, str. vii-xii 1. Podrijetlo i mladost Vilima Fellera, str. 1 2. U Njemačkoj i Skandinaviji, str. 31 3. Dolazak u SAD, str. 41 4. Fellerova monografija, str. 53 5. Značaj Fellerova znanstvenog rada, str. 73 6. Uspomene na Vilima Fellera, str. 95 7. Odjek Fellerova djela u monografskoj literaturi, str. 107 8. Ilustracija Fellerova načina pisanja, str. 117 9. Obiteljska grobnica Fellerovih u Zagrebu, str. 121 Izvori (37 naslova), str. 125 Popis 109 fotografija, str. 129 Kazalo, str. 133
By the end 2011 the following monograph about William Feller has been published as a bilingual, Croatian-English edition:
Darko Žubrinić: William Feller - Distinguished Croatian-American Mathematician, Graphis, Zagreb 2011
The book is accompanied with 109 photos, printed on 140 pp, hardcover.
Contact
The book can be ordered using at the Graphis publisher in Zagreb:
Preface, Summary and Extended Summary, p vii-xii 1. Origins and Youth of William Feller, p 1 2. In Germany and Scandinavia, p 31 3. Arrival to the USA, p 41 4. Feller's Monograph, p 53 5. The Importance of Feller's Scientific Work, p 73 6. Remembering William Feller, p 95 7. Echo of Feller's Opus in the Monograph Literature, p 107 8. An Illustration of Feller's Way of Writing, p 117 9. The Feller's Family Vault on the Mirogoj Graveyard in Zagreb, p 121 Literature (37 titles), p 125 List of 109 Photographs, p 129 Index, p 133
