Nikolay Ivanovich Lobachevsky (December 1, 1792, Nizhny Novgorod — February 24, 1856, Kazan) was a Russian mathematician, the founder of non-Euclidean geometry, and a professor and rector of Kazan University. Born in Nizhny Novgorod, he spent most of his life and his entire scientific career in Kazan. Nizhny Novgorod State University, one of the leading universities of the region, bears Lobachevsky's name.[3]

Origins and education

Lobachevsky was born into the family of a minor official: his father, Ivan Maksimovich, served in the geodetic department, and his mother, Praskovya Aleksandrovna, raised their three sons.[2] After his father's early death, the family moved to Kazan, where in 1802 Nikolay entered the gymnasium at state expense.[1] He showed particular success in mathematics and foreign languages; a significant role in his mathematical development was played by the gymnasium teacher Grigory Kartashevsky.[1] In 1807 Lobachevsky entered Kazan University; despite his brilliant academic record, the authorities characterized him as a "stubborn youth" showing "signs of godlessness" — the threat of expulsion passed him by only thanks to the intercession of a professor of mathematics.[3] In 1811 he graduated from the university with distinction, with a master's degree in physics and mathematics, and was retained there.[1]

Scientific work

Lobachevsky's chief scientific achievement was a new geometric system — non-Euclidean geometry, which rejects Euclid's axiom of the uniqueness of the parallel line. The starting point is considered to be February 7, 1826, when he presented at Kazan University the manuscript "A Concise Outline of the Foundations of Geometry with a Rigorous Proof of the Theorem on Parallels."[4] The manuscript was not published immediately, but it formed the basis of the work "On the Foundations of Geometry," printed in the "Kazan Herald" in 1829–1830.[4] In the following years came "Imaginary Geometry" (1835), "Application of Imaginary Geometry to Certain Integrals" (1836), "New Foundations of Geometry with a Complete Theory of Parallels" (1835–1838), "Geometrical Investigations on the Theory of Parallel Lines" (1840), and the culminating "Pangeometry" (1855).[3]

Besides geometry, Lobachevsky obtained new results in the theory of trigonometric series and developed a method for the approximate finding of the roots of equations, known as the Lobachevsky method.[1] He was also the first to attempt to use astronomical observation data — stellar parallaxes — to test which geometry corresponds to real physical space.[1]

Teaching and Administrative Career

From 1814, Lobachevsky lectured on number theory, and later on algebra, trigonometry, differential and integral calculus, physics, and astronomy.[3] In 1816 he became an extraordinary professor, and in 1822 a full professor; from 1822 to 1825 he served as dean of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics.[4]

In 1827 Lobachevsky was appointed rector of Kazan University and led it until 1846.[2] During this time, on his initiative, buildings were constructed for the library, the anatomical theater, the chemistry laboratory, and the physics laboratory, along with an astronomical observatory, a magnetic observatory, and a greenhouse for the botanical garden (architect M. P. Korinfsky).[4] Between 1833 and 1837, a new observatory was built at the university — one of the best in the country, which began operating in 1838, a year earlier than the Pulkovo Observatory.[1] In 1834 Lobachevsky founded the "Scholarly Notes of the Imperial Kazan University."[4] Under him, the university began admitting students of Tatar, Kyrgyz, Kalmyk, Bashkir, and Buryat origin, chairs of Oriental languages were established, and the university library became open to the public.[4]

In 1841 Lobachevsky was granted the title of Honored Professor; in 1837 he had been granted hereditary nobility.[4] In 1846 he was effectively removed from university work: he was appointed assistant trustee of the Kazan Educational District with a reduced salary, and lost both his chair and the rectorship.[1]

Legacy

Lobachevsky's name has been given to Nizhny Novgorod State University — the largest classical university in the region.[3] The scholar's scientific legacy has had a fundamental influence on the development of mathematics and physics: non-Euclidean geometry is applied both in pure mathematics and in theoretical physics.[3]

Sources

  1. prlib.ru — Nikolay Ivanovich Lobachevsky (1792—1856) — Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library (archive)
  2. znanierussia.ru — Lobachevsky, Nikolay Ivanovich — "Znanie.Wiki" Encyclopedia (archive)
  3. itmm.unn.ru — Lobachevsky Nikolay Ivanovich — Institute of Information Technologies, Mathematics and Mechanics
  4. tatarica.org — Lobachevsky Nikolay Ivanovich — Tatar Encyclopedia TATARICA (archive)