Mikhail Vasilievich Ostrogradsky (1801-1861) - Russian mathematician and mechanic of Ukrainian origin, academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, the most influential mathematician in the Russian Empire in the 1830-1860s.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of Ostrogradsky, which we will talk about in this article.
So, before you is a short biography of Mikhail Ostrogradsky.
Biography of Ostrogradsky
Mikhail Ostrogradsky was born on September 12 (24), 1801 in the village of Pashennaya (Poltava province). He grew up in the family of the landowner Vasily Ostrogradsky, who came from a noble family.
Childhood and youth
Michael's thirst for knowledge began to manifest itself in his early years. He was especially interested in natural science phenomena.
At the same time, Ostrogradsky did not like to study at the boarding school, which was headed by Ivan Kotlyarevsky, the author of the famous burlesque "Aeneid".
When Mikhail was 15 years old, he became a volunteer, and a year later he became a student of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Kharkov University.
After 3 years, the young man was able to pass the candidate exams with honors. However, local professors deprived the Ostrogradskiy certificate of candidate of sciences and diploma.
This behavior of the Kharkov professors was associated with his frequent absence from classes in theology. As a result, the guy was left without an accounting degree.
A couple of years later, Mikhail Vasilyevich left for Paris to continue studying mathematics.
In the French capital, Ostrogradsky studied at the Sorbonne and the College de France. An interesting fact is that he attended lectures by such famous scientists as Fourier, Ampere, Poisson and Cauchy.
Scientific activity
In 1823, Mikhail began working as a professor at the College of Henry 4. During that period of his biography, he published the work "On the Propagation of Waves in a Cylindrical Basin", which he presented to his French colleagues for consideration.
The work received good reviews, as a result of which Augustin Cauchy expressed the following about its author: "This Russian young man is gifted with great insight and is quite knowledgeable."
In 1828 Mikhail Ostrogradsky returned to his homeland with a French diploma and a reputation as a prominent scientist.
Two years later, the mathematician was elected an extraordinary academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. In subsequent years he will become a corresponding member of the Paris Academy of Sciences, a member of the American, Roman and other academies.
During the biography of 1831-1862. Ostrogradsky was the head of the Department of Applied Mechanics at the Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers. In addition to his direct responsibilities, he continued to write new works.
In the winter of 1838, Mikhail Vasilyevich became a secret adviser of the 3rd rank, which was compared with a minister or governor.
Mikhail was fond of mathematical analysis, algebra, probability theory, mechanics, the theory of magnetism and the theory of numbers. He is the author of the method for integrating rational functions.
In physics, the scientist has also reached considerable heights. He derived an important formula for converting a volume integral to a surface integral.
Shortly before his death, Ostrogradskiy published a book in which he outlined his ideas on the integration of the equations of dynamics.
Pedagogical activity
When Ostrogradsky had a reputation as one of the most talented mathematicians in Russia, he began to develop wide pedagogical and social activities in St. Petersburg.
The man was a professor at many educational institutions. For many years he was the main observer of the teaching of mathematics in military schools.
An interesting fact is that when the works of Nikolai Lobachevsky fell into the hands of Ostrogradsky, he criticized them.
Since 1832, Mikhail Vasilyevich taught higher algebra, analytical geometry and theoretical mechanics at the Main Pedagogical Institute. As a result, many of his followers became famous scientists in the future.
In the 1830s, all mathematical subjects in the officer corps were taught by Ostrogradskiy, or his colleague Bunyakovskiy.
From that time, over 30 years, until his death, Mikhail Vasilievich was the most influential figure among Russian mathematicians. At the same time, he somehow helped young teachers to develop.
It is curious that Ostrogradsky was the teacher of the children of Emperor Nicholas 1.
Last years and death
According to some sources, in his declining years, Ostrogradsky became interested in spiritualism. It is worth noting that he was one-eyed.
About six months before the death of the scientist, an abscess formed on his back, which turned out to be a rapidly growing malignant tumor. He underwent surgery, but it did not help save him from death.
Mikhail Vasilievich Ostrogradsky died on December 20, 1861 (January 1, 1862) at the age of 60. He was buried in his native village, which he asked his loved ones.
Ostrogradsky Photos
