Théorie des Distributions, I-II [all published]. (Publications de l'Institut de Mathématique de l'Université de Strasbourg, nos. 9 and 10; Actualités Scientifiques et Industrielles, nos. 1091 and 1122)

SCHWARTZ, Laurent

Published by Paris: Hermann & Cie, 1950-51

About this Item

First edition, and a fine copy, of this classic text on distribution theory. Distributions (or generalized functions) were first introduced by Sergei Sobolev in 1935, but it was Schwartz (1915-2002) who systematically studied the subject and eventually developed it into a full theory with practical applications. "The outstanding contribution to mathematics which Schwartz made in the late 1940s was his work in the theory of distributions . . . we quote Schwartz's own description of coming up with the idea in 1944: 'In my youth I used to have insomnias lasting several hours and never took sleeping pills. I remained in my bed, the light off and without writing, did mathematics. My inventive energy was redoubled and I advanced rapidly without tiring. I felt entirely free, without any of the brakes imposed by my daily life and writing. After some hours . . . especially if an unexpected difficulty came up . . . I would stop and sleep until morning. I would be tired but happy for the whole of the following day . . . On this particular night I felt sure of myself and filled with a sense of exaltation. I lost no time in rushing to explain everything to Henri Cartan who . . . lived next door. He was enthusiastic: 'There you are. You've just resolved all the difficulties of differentiation. Now we'll never again have functions without derivatives'' . . . The first publication in which he presented these ideas was 'Généralisation de la notion de fonction, de dérivation, de transformation de Fourier et applications mathématiques et physiques,' which appeared in 1948. The theory of distributions is a considerable broadening of the differential and integral calculus. Heaviside and Dirac had generalised the calculus with specific applications in mind. These, and other similar methods of formal calculation, were not, however, built on an abstract and rigorous mathematical foundation. Schwartz's development of the theory of distributions put methods of this type onto a sound basis, and greatly extended their range of application, providing powerful tools for applications in numerous areas" (Mactutor). In 1950 Schwartz was awarded the Fields Medal for his work on distributions. Two vols. 8vo, pp. [ii],148; 169, [3]. Original printed wrappers. Seller Inventory # ABE-1601908687791

Bibliographic Details

Title: Théorie des Distributions, I-II [all ...

Publisher: Paris: Hermann & Cie, 1950-51

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Fine

Edition: 1st Edition