Collaborations of Hungarian Mathematicians

John-Steiner, Vera (2005) Collaborations of Hungarian Mathematicians. Hungarian Studies, 19 (2). pp. 207-214. ISSN 0236-6568

Text hstud.19.2005.2.2.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only until 31 December 2025. Download (55kB)

Abstract

This paper focuses on the collaborative partnerships of Hungarian mathematicians in the first half of the twentieth century. They were pioneers in collaboration, an intellectual practice that has become widespread during the last fifty years. Hungarian mathematicians starting with the Bolyais, father and son, worked closely together in co-constructing new knowledge and in supporting each other in developing innovative approaches to mathematics. In the literature Paul Erdős' extraordinary range of jointly authored papers is celebrated by the use of the “Erdős Numbers”. This paper discusses different patterns of collaboration and uses as illustration the partnerships of von Neumann and Morgenstern; and Pólya and Szegő. These collaborative partners developed interesting working methods including using different languages for conversation and for writing. Their accounts of their shared activities include key aspects of collaboration including mentorship, complementary skills, domains of expertise, the role of chance versus purpose, and the power of shared vision.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item