(Redirected from Émile Picard)'Charles Émile Picard' (
July 24,
1856 -
December 11,
1941) was a leading
French mathematician. (He is usually referred to simply as ''Émile Picard''.)
Picard's mathematical papers, textbooks, and many popular writings exhibit an extraordinary range of interests, as well as an impressive mastery of the mathematics of his time. Modern students of
complex variables are probably familiar with two of his named theorems. His lesser theorem states that every nonconstant
entire function takes every value in the
complex plane, with perhaps one exception. His greater theorem states that an
analytic function with an
essential singularity takes every value infinitely often, with perhaps one exception, in a neighborhood of that singularity. He also made important contributions in the theory of
differential equations, including work on
Painlevé transcendents and his introduction of a kind of
symmetry group for a linear differential equation, the
Picard group. In connection with his work on function theory, he was one of the first mathematicians to use the emerging ideas of
algebraic topology.
In addition to his path-breaking theoretical work,
Picard also made important contributions to
applied mathematics,
including the theories of telegraphy and elasticity. His collected papers run to four volumes.
Like his contemporary,
Henri Poincaré, Picard was much concerned with the training of mathematics, physics, and engineering students.
He wrote a classic textbook on
analysis-- which is still considered a standard reference-- as well as one of the first textbooks on the
theory of relativity.
Picard's popular writings include biographies of many leading French mathematicians, including his father in law,
Charles Hermite.
In 1924, he was elected to the
Académie française.
See also
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Picard functor
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Picard group
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Picard theorem
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Picard variety
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Picard-Lefschetz formula
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Picard-Lindelöf theorem
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Painlevé transcendents
References
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Charles Émile Picard
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Œuvres de Ch.-É. Picard, Picard, Émile, , , Centre national de la recherche scientifique, 1978-1981, LLCN 78400599 ''Four volumes''
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Éloges et discours académiques, Picard, Émile, , , , 1931, Grsn 00559083
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Discours et mélanges, Picard, Émile, , , Gauthier-Villars, 1922, LCCN 23002623
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La théorie de la relativité et ses applications à l'astronomie, Picard, Émile, , , Gauthier-Villars, 1922, Grsn 00571095
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La science moderne et son état actuel, Picard, Émile, , , E. Flammarion, 1909, LCCN 07010259
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Traité d'Analyse, Picard, Émile, , , Gauthier-Villars et fils, 1891--1896, Grsn 00560562 ''Three volumes''