 Click to enlarge
|
Romanian professor
Octav Onicescu reached the age of 90 years and was the undisputed dean of Romanian mathematicians, when, meeting with a group of children, the scientist Onicescu Octav addressed them: "Let us remember that math is one of the great educators of our thinking. It teaches you to anticipate a situation of life and, like in resolving a problem, to keep account of all factors, to analyze and to compare them, so that you can make the best decision".
Even from this brief fragment of scientists thinking, shines through his permanent concern to combine mathematics with life - and those who examine his work find many facets of this concern: the history of human thought, history of mathematics, creating in our country, a strong school calculus and statistics, opening new paths in science.
Born on August 20, 1892 in the village Ştefăneşti, Botosani, he graduated school "August Treboniu Laurian" in Botoşani, with maximum grade. Student in University of Bucharest in 1911, followed simultaneously in mathematics and philosophy, obtaining both license in only two years. Once he was active combatant in the war front in 1916-1918, he specialized himself in Italy and France. In 1920 obtained his Ph.D. in mathematics. His doctoral thesis concerned a matter of theory of relativity - the moment’s great scientific question. He is appointed professor of mechanics at the Faculty of Bucharest University, institution where he worked as a teacher, until his death.
Here, in 1925, taught the first course in Romania of probability calculus, but took also other courses: absolute differential calculus (in connection with relativity theory), statistical potential theory, as in other topical areas of mathematics. In 1930 organizes and leads the School of Statistics, actuarial and calculus (actuarial: statistical and probabilistic calculation system, especially for insurance) under the University of Bucharest. Alongside he was a professor of "Mechanical devices and movement" at National Institute of Physical Education. He is coauthor of the first modern treaty of algebra, appeared in our country.
Scientific merits of Onicescu are multiple. He is one of the creators (along with Gh. Mihoc) of the important notion of probabilistic chain with complete connections. He proposed new scientific concepts such as "measure Onicescu" for the amount of information, called also information energy.
Concerned on the problems of philosophy of science, he led for many years, a seminar on this issue and a probabilistic calculus workshop ("Workshop Onicescu"). In addition to strictly scientific studies, he published studies of important science figures, biographies of scientists and other works. When the youth was concerned with the theory of relativity, later tried to develop a mechanic theory without the difficulties resulting from relativistic mechanics. His mechanics is called “invariants mechanical" as it postulates that the study should start from a certain invariant.
His research, especially on chains with complete connections, proved to be particularly fruitful, enabling the understanding of complex phenomena such as, for example, learning.
Scientist complete, his intellectual formation reminds the people of Renaissance, Octav Onicescu enjoyed his scientific merits recognition, both at home and abroad, being a member of the Romanian Academy, honorary member of the International Institute of Mechanical Sciences in Udine, in Italy etc.. Giving evidence of multiple meanings, he has published two volumes of Memoirs (1982, 1984).
Although born in another century, he had a clear vision of the development of his time science "in the development and implications of mathematics, the present almost amazes us. Think only of computing machines, result of human thought, some formidable tools in the service of mathematics".
It is interesting to show how the scientist Onicescu saw himself: "I am not primarily a mathematician, not a probabilistic thinker, as some preferably say, nor mechanical teacher, as some want to consider me. I regard myself as a researcher of human actions, social or economic, of natural phenomena, with mathematical means. "
|
| |
|
|
variant spelling:
Onicescu, Octav
|
| |
|
|
|
Curriculum vitae
|
|
|
* 20.08.1892
|
Stefanesti Botosani
|
born
|
|
1913
|
Bucuresti
|
Degree in mathematics and philosophy
|
|
1920
|
Bucuresti
|
Professor
|
|
1920
|
Bucuresti
|
Ph.D.
|
|
?
|
Bucuresti
|
Full member
|
|
?
|
Bucuresti
|
Professor of "Mechanical equipment and movements"
|
|
† 1983
|
Bucuresti
|
died
|
|
|
Newsletter
DMG-Lib
Europeana
