Walther von Dyck

Walther Franz Anton von Dyck (6 December 1856 – 5 November 1934), born Dyck (German pronunciation: [diːk][1]) and later ennobled, was a German mathematician. He is credited with being the first to define a mathematical group, in the modern sense in (Dyck 1882). He laid the foundations of combinatorial group theory,[2] being the first to systematically study a group by generators and relations.

Walther von Dyck
8th Rector of the Technical University of Munich
In office
1919–1925
Preceded byKarl Heinrich Hager
Succeeded byJonathan Zenneck
1st Rector of the Technical University of Munich
In office
1903–1906
Preceded byPosition renamed
Succeeded byFriedrich von Thiersch
7th Director of the Technical University of Munich
In office
1900–1903
Preceded byEgbert von Hoyer
Succeeded byPosition renamed
Personal details
Born(1856-12-06)6 December 1856
Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria
Died5 November 1934(1934-11-05) (aged 77)
Munich, Nazi Germany
NationalityGerman
EducationTechnical University of Munich
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics
ThesisÜber regulär verzweigte Riemannsche Flächen und die durch sie definierten Irrationalitäten (1879)
Doctoral advisorFelix Klein

Biography
Bust of Walther von Dyck at his grave in Munich

Von Dyck was a student of Felix Klein,[2] and served as chairman of the commission publishing Klein's encyclopedia. Von Dyck was also the editor of Kepler's works. He promoted technological education as rector of the Technische Hochschule of Munich.[3] He was a Plenary Speaker of the ICM in 1908 at Rome.[4]

Von Dyck is the son of the Bavarian painter Hermann Dyck.

Legacy

The Dyck language in formal language theory is named after him,[5] as are Dyck's theorem and Dyck's surface in the theory of surfaces, together with the von Dyck groups, the Dyck tessellations, Dyck paths, and the Dyck graph.

Publications
  • Dyck, Walther (1882), "Gruppentheoretische Studien (Group-theoretical Studies)", Mathematische Annalen (in German), 20 (1): 1–44, doi:10.1007/BF01443322, hdl:2027/njp.32101075301422, ISSN 0025-5831, S2CID 179178038.

Notes
  1. Pronunciation according to information from the Board of Management of the Technical University of Munich.
  2. Stillwell, John (2002), Mathematics and its history, Springer, p. 374, ISBN 978-0-387-95336-6
  3. Rowe, David E. (November 2008). "Review of Walther von Dyck (1856–1934). Mathematik, Technik und Wissenschaftsorganisation an der TH München". Historia Mathematica. 35 (4): 333–334. doi:10.1016/j.hm.2008.08.002.
  4. Dyck, W. von (1909). "Die Encyklopädie der mathematischen Wissenschaften". In G. Castelnuovo (ed.). Atti del IV Congresso Internazionale dei Matematici (Roma, 6–11 Aprile 1908). ICM proceedings. Vol. 1. University of Toronto Press. pp. 123–134.
  5. "Udacity CS262". Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2012.

References
  • Ulf Hashagen: Walther von Dyck (1856–1934). Mathematik, Technik und Wissenschaftsorganisation an der TH München, Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-515-08359-6


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