Hermann Weyl

Hermann Weyl (November 9 1885 - December 8 1955) was a German mathematician. Although much of his working life was spent in Zürich and then Princeton, he is closely identified with the University of Göttingen tradition of mathematics, represented by David Hilbert and Hermann Minkowski. His research has had major significance for theoretical physics as well as pure disciplines including number theory. He was one of the most influential mathematicians of the twentieth century, and a key member of the Institute for Advanced Study in its early years, in terms of creating an integrated and international view.

Geometric foundations of manifolds and physics

See Weyl transformation, Weyl tensor

Related Topics:
Weyl transformation - Weyl tensor

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In 1913, Weyl published Die Idee der Riemannschen Fläche (The Concept of a Riemann Surface), which gave a unified treatment of Riemann surfaces.

Related Topics:
1913 - Riemann surface

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In 1918, he introduced the notion of gauge, and gave the first example of what is now known as a gauge theory. Weyl's gauge theory was an unsuccessful attempt to model electromagnetic field and the gravitational field as geometrical properties of spacetime. The Weyl tensor in Riemannian geometry is of major importance in understanding the nature of conformal geometry.

Related Topics:
1918 - Gauge - Gauge theory - Electromagnetic field - Gravitational field - Spacetime - Weyl tensor - Riemannian geometry - Conformal geometry

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