Zentralblatt MATH
Publications of (and about) Paul Erdös
Zbl.No: 793.01015
Autor: Szekeres, George (Gyuri)
Title: Recollections. (In English)
Source: Miklós, D. (ed.) et al., Combinatorics, Paul Erd\H os is eighty. Vol. 1. Budapest: János Bolyai Mathematical Society, (ISBN 963-8022-73-6/hbk). Bolyai Society Mathematical Studies. 15-17 (1993).
Review: The article collects some of the author's personal memories about the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erd\H os, whom he had the chance of meeting as early as their student's years. The first ``mathematical triangle'' included Erd\H os, Szekeres and Paul Turán, then, a few years later, Vera Turán and Alfréd Rényi contributed to the formation of a complete pentagon. Mention is made of one of Erd\H os's first achievements, namely the brilliant demonstration of Tchebychev's theorem (between n and 2n there is always at least one prime). The author recognizes that it was Erd\H os who made him understand the real and wonderful essence of the science of mathematics, namely the constant intellectual satisfaction it offers when grasped correctly. There follows a series of recollections on the post-war years, on their meeting, after almost 20 years, in London (in 1958 -- after the Hungarian revolution of 1956), as well as on their returning to Budapest.
Reviewer: C.Cusmir (Iasi)
Classif.: * 01A60 Mathematics in the 20th century
Keywords: Paul Erdös; Tchebychev; continuum hypothesis; prime number; prime pairs; Goldbach; Fermat
Biogr.Ref.: Erdös, Paul
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