Introduction:
The disciplines of mathematics and theoretical physics bear the permanent imprint of Emmy Noether, a trailblazing mathematician whose genius reached beyond the confines of her day. Amalie Emmy Noether, born in Erlangen, Germany, on March 23, 1882, defied social standards and female roles to become one of the most significant mathematicians of the 20th century.
Childhood and Schooling:
Early in life, Emmy Noether developed a strong interest in mathematics. Although she came from a family that supported education, she first encountered obstacles in pursuing higher education because of cultural conventions that limited women’s access to universities.
Quantum and Relativistic:
Emmy Noether had several eminent admirers of her work, including A. Einstein (1879-1955), who was very impressed. Her work concerns symmetry breaking and conservation laws, well known in the Quantum and Relativistic worlds.
Emmy at Göttingen University:
Emmy arrived at Göttingen University in 1915, invited by David Hilbert (of the 23 problems fame, Kurt Godel (1906-1978 solved the second), Paul Cohen (1934-2007 proved the Continuum hypothesis), and Felix Klein (1849-1925 of the bottle fame). Hilbert sought her expertise in invariant theory to resolve certain energy conservation problems in General Relativity. Noether decided this paradox, providing a fundamental tool for modern theoretical physics with Noether’s first theorem, which she proved in 1915 and published in 1918. Emmy Noether solved the problem of determining conserved quantities for systems of physical laws with continuous symmetry, including General Relativity. After looking at her work, Einstein wrote to Hilbert:
“Yesterday I received from Miss Noether a very interesting paper on invariants. The fact that such things are generally comprehensible impresses me. The old guard at Göttingen should take some lessons from Miss Noether! She seems to know her stuff “.
20th century:
Jewish scientists like Max Born and Richard Courant were deported from Germany in the early 20th century. They are the authors of the famous book “Mathematical Methods for Physicists“, which is present in my office at UCL. Check out “My Life, Recollections of a Nobel Laureate” by Max Born for a glimpse into his mind.
Conclusion:
Emmy Noether’s remarkable rise from societal obstacles to prominence in mathematics is evidence of her tenacity and intelligence. Her work in abstract algebra and theoretical physics continues to inspire future generations of mathematicians and physicists. We must promote diversity and inclusivity to enable genius to flourish regardless of gender or background.
