Biography of Georg Cantor

Endless studies

3 March 1845
January 6, 1918
Georg Ferdinand Ludwig Philipp Cantor brilliant mathematician, was born on 3 March 1845 in Petersburg (now Leningrad), where he lived until age 11, and later moved to Germany where he lived most of his life. His father, Georg Cantor, Waldemar decided to move to Germany, despite being a successful trader and an expert stock broker, for health reasons. His mother, Mary Anne Bohm, was an important Russian musician and undoubtedly influenced his son who became interested in music learning the violin. In 1856, once transferred, lived for some years in Wiesbaden where Cantor attended the gymnasium. After completing his high school studies in Munich with his family Cantor moved to Frankfurt where he attended from 1862 read mathematics and philosophy, first at the University of Zurich then in Berlin, where he studied under e. e. Kummer, w. t. Weierstrass and L.
Kronecker. In 1867 he graduated and in 1869 he obtained the professorship in presenting work on number theory. In 1874, on the other hand, there was the sentimental event more important in the life of mathematician: he met his sister and friend Vally Guttmann, after only a few months, they married. Later, under the influence of Weierstrass, Cantor shifted his interest in analysis and more particularly to the study of trigonometric series. In 1872 he was appointed ordinary Professor, and in 1879 at the University of Halle. Here Cantor could play in peace his difficult studies, which led him to give fundamental contributions in various sectors, such as the study of trigonometric series, on non-countability of the real numbers or on the theory of dimensions, although it became known in academic circles for his work on set theory.
In particular, he was responsible for the first rigorous definition of "infinite set", as well as construction of transfinite ordinal number theory both Cardinals. Cantor proved that the endless are not all the same but, similarly to integers, they can be ordered (i.e. There are some more "major" than others). He then built a complete theory of these transfinite numbers called. The idea of infinity is one of the most controversial in the history of thought. Just think of the perplexity with which mathematicians accepted the calculus of Leibniz and Newton, which was entirely based on the concept of infinitesimal quantities (which they called "evanescent").
Although cantoriana theory of sets was later amended and integrated, it remains the basis of the study of the properties of infinite sets. Criticism and heated discussions that were expressed at his appearance were perhaps at the root of depression who attacked during the final years of his life. Already in 1884 was the first manifestation of nervous disease that struck him several times until his death. In the light of a biographical survey of her life, in fact, it seems likely that the emergence of this disease have competed, in addition to uncertainty about the validity of his work, including the scientific and academic ostracism due mainly to l. Kronecker, who blocked his every attempt to teach in Berlin. Since that time, in short, Cantor spent his life between universities and nursing homes. Died of a heart attack on January 6, 1918 while he was hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.