Mihailo Petrović

Mihailo Petrović, Serbian Михаило Петровић ( born April 24, 1868 in Belgrade, † June 8, 1943 ibid ) was a Serbian mathematician and philosopher who dealt in particular with Analysis.

Petrovic, whose father was a professor of theology, studied after high school in 1885, first at the science - mathematichen section of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade and from 1889 in Paris, where he prepared for the entrance exam to the Ecole Normale Superieure and there and at the Sorbonne studied mathematics. In 1891 he made ​​a math degree at the Sorbonne and in 1894 he became a PhD at Charles Hermite ( Sur les Zeros et les infinis of integral equations of the differentiels algebriques ). He was since 1894 professor of mathematics at the secondary school in Belgrade, later (from 1905), University of Belgrade, where he founded a mathematician school. One of his students was Jovan Karamata. During the Balkan War 1912/13, in the First and Second World War he served as an officer and he designed cryptographic methods for the Yugoslav army.

Petrovic published on differential equations, real and complex analysis, algebra, as well as physics, chemistry and astronomy. He also built scientific instruments such as an integrator for solving differential equations, for which he received in 1907 prices at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 and in London. He also wrote travel books about his voyages.

His collected works were published in 15 volumes.

In 1897 he became an associate in 1899 and a full member of the Royal Serbian Academy of Sciences. He was also a member of the Academies in Prague, Krakow, Warsaw and Bucharest. In 1939 he became an honorary doctorate from the University of Belgrade and received the Order of St. Sava.

He played the violin and was very interested in fishing - he completed an apprenticeship in fisheries and passed the master's examination. His nickname was Alas ( river fishing ). He was also the official representative in fisheries negotiations with neighboring countries.