Eugène Charles Catalan

Eugène Charles Catalan ( * May 30, 1814 in Bruges, † February 14, 1894 ) was a Belgian mathematician.

Life

Catalan was born in Belgium and received his education at the École Polytechnique in Paris, where he met Joseph Liouville. In 1834 he was expelled from the university and then went to Chalons- sur -Marne, where he got a job after graduating. He went in 1838 with the support of Liouville back to the École Polytechnique to teach descriptive geometry. In 1865 he was appointed professor at the University of Liège.

Work

Catalan working on continued fractions, descriptive geometry, number theory and combinatorics. The famous Catalansche guess he published in 1844, which was proved in 2002 by Preda Mihăilescu. His name carries a unique, periodic structure, which he joined in 1855. The Catalan numbers he acquired to solve a combinatorial problem. Next the Catalansche constant is named after him.

Bibliography

• François Jong Mans: Une élection orageuse à l'Institut. In: Bulletin de la Société royale des Sciences de Liège. 55ème année. No. 5-6, 1986, pp. 581-603.
• François Jong Mans: Eugène Catalan. Géomètre sans patrie - républicain sans république. Société Belge de Mathématiques of professeurs d'expression française, 1996.

Writings

• Théorèmes et Problèmes Géométrie élémentaire, Brussels, 2nd edition 1852, 6th edition 1879
• Elements de géométrie, 1843
• Traité élémentaire de géométrie descriptive, 2 volumes, 1850, 1852, 5th edition 1881
• Nouveau manuel of aspirants au baccalauréat ès sciences, 1852 (from the book published 12 editions)
• Solutions of problèmes de mathématique et de physique donnés à la Sorbonne dans les Compositions du baccalauréat ès sciences, 1855/56
• Manuel of candidats à l' École Polytechnique, 2 volumes, 1857-58
• Notions d' astronomy, 1860 ( the book underwent six editions)
• Traité élémentaire the séries, 1860
• Histoire d'un concours, 1865, 2nd edition 1867
• Cours d' analyze de l' université de Liège, 1870, 2nd edition 1880