About Lobachevsky

About Lobachevsky

Science is a very important and interesting field of activity of man. Mathematics as a science is a good example of such activity.

Russian and Soviet mathematicians made a great contribution to the development of mathematics. World known are the name of S. Kovalevskaya, N. Lobachevsky and others. There are scientists who seem to be born scientists. And their life is not always a bed of roses, sometimes their life turns really tragic. Lobachevsky's life is a good example and a proof of this statement.

Lobachevsky was born in 1792 near Nizhni Novgorod. When he was a child, his family moved to Kazan, where Lobachevsky entered the gymnasium. His progress in mathematics was very rapid there.

At the age of 15 he entered the University of Kazan. At 19 he was awarded a Master's degree. At the age of 24 Lobachevsky became a Professor of mathematics at Kazan University. When he was 35, Lobachevsky was appointed rector of the University. Lobachevsky was 34 years old, when he founded non-Euclidean geometry of two-dimensions. His geometry is valid for pseudosfherical surfaces. It is based on the assumption that the axiom on parallel to a given straight line.

It was one of the masterpieces of mathematics. Strange as it may seem, scientists of old Russia and Europe did not support his geometry. But Lobachevsky was not discouraged. In 1846 he was dismissed from his office. And still Lobachevsky continued his research work, now at home. When he got blind, he dictated his new masterpiece-pan-geometry - to his pupils, Lobachevsky died in 1856 at the age of 63.

So, we see that revolutionary idens in science, they struggle their way through misunderstanding. And only a really talented and persistent personality can win.