Gustave Choquet

Alfred Arthur Gustave Choquet ( born March 1, 1915 in Solesmes, † November 14, 2006 in Lyon) was a French mathematician who has focused particularly on functional analysis, potential theory and topology.

Choquet studied from 1934 to 1938 at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, among others, Arnaud Denjoy and Georges Darmois ( 1888-1960 ). In 1937, he was first in the tests for aggregation. 1938/9 he was on a scholarship at Princeton. During the Second World War he studied with the support of the CNRS and in 1946 received his doctorate. 1946 to 1947 he taught at the Institut Français in Poland. After that he was Maître de conférences at the University of Grenoble ( 1947-1949 ) and at the Sorbonne, where he was ( after a short time as Maître de conférences 1949) Professor from 1950 ( later at the Universities of Paris VI and Paris-Sud ). In 1984 he retired. At the same time, he was from 1960 to 1969 professor at the École Polytechnique.

Choquet worked among others in the topology ( where he solved a famous problem of Henri Lebesgue ), potential theory, functional analysis and measure theory. His work on compact convex sets in functional analysis known as Choquet theory. With a work from 1953, he founded the theory of capacities. This work had applications in probability theory, where the Choquet integral is named after him. Choquet also dealt with axioms of Euclidean geometry.

He had for many years a seminar on potential theory with Marcel Brelot and Jacques Deny, and from 1960 on a Introduction to Analysis ( Séminaire de l' initiation à l' analysis).

Choquet was also active in mathematics education and was from 1950 to 1958 President of the International Commission for the Study and Improvement of Mathematical Teaching ( Commission Gattegno ). He made ​​an effort to introduce geometrical ideas in the classroom and also wrote several books on elementary geometry.

He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences and Officer of the Legion of Honor since 1976. He was a corresponding member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and an honorary member of the London Mathematical Society. He received several prizes of the French Academy of Sciences, 1968 as the grand prize in mathematics.

His students include Michel Talagrand and Haim Brezis.

He was married to Yvonne Choquet - Bruhat mathematician.

Writings

  • Cours d'analyze, 2ème cycle, CDU ( Centre de Documentation Universitaire ) and École Polytechnique, 1955-1960
  • Cours de topology, Masson, 1964
  • New elementary geometry, Vieweg 1970 ( French: L' enseignement de la géométrie, Hermann, 1964)
  • Outils de l' topologiques et métriques analysis mathématique, CDU, 1966
  • Geometry tools of the complexes, CDU, 1968
  • Lectures on analysis, 3 volumes, Benjamin, 1968
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