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Mayer, Johann Tobias

(Encyclopedia)Mayer, Johann Tobias yōˈhän tōbēˈäs mīˈər [key], 1723–62, German mathematician and astronomer. In 1751 he became professor of economics and mathematics at the Univ. of Göttingen, and in 1...

Lemaître, Georges, Abbé

(Encyclopedia)Lemaître, Georges, Abbé ləmĕtˈrə [key], 1894–1966, Belgian astrophysicist, mathematician, and Catholic priest. In 1927 he became professor of astrophysics at the Univ. of Louvain and proposed...

Lazarsfeld, Paul F.

(Encyclopedia)Lazarsfeld, Paul F. läˈzərsfĕltˌ [key], 1901–76, American sociologist, b. Vienna. After beginning as a mathematician, he established a research center for social psychology. Emigrating to the U...

Kovalevsky, Sonya

(Encyclopedia)Kovalevsky, Sonya or Sophie kōˌvəlĕfˈskē [key], 1850–91, Russian mathematician. She studied at the universities of Heidelberg and Berlin (under K. T. Weierstrass) and in 1874 received a Ph.D. ...

Kantorovich, Leonid Vitalyevich

(Encyclopedia)Kantorovich, Leonid Vitalyevich lēˈənĭd vītalˈēyavĭch kəntorˈəvĭch [key], 1912–86, Soviet economist and mathematician, b. St. Petersburg, Russia. A professor at Leningrad State Univ. (19...

Rømer, Olaus

(Encyclopedia)Rømer, Olaus or Ole ōläˈo͝os, ōˈlə römˈər [key], 1644–1710, Danish astronomer. He is noted for his discovery that light travels at a definite speed and does not move through space instant...

Brahmagupta

(Encyclopedia)Brahmagupta bräˌməgo͝opˈtə [key], c.598–c.660, Indian mathematician and astronomer. He was among the first to meaningfully discuss the concepts of zero and of negative numbers. He wrote in ver...

Venetiaan, Ronald

(Encyclopedia)Venetiaan, Ronald (Runaldo Ronald Venetiaan) vēnēsēänˈ [key], 1936–, Surinamese political leader, president of Suriname (1991–96, 2000–2010). A mathematician by training, he became minister...

Church, Sir Richard

(Encyclopedia)Church, Sir Richard, 1784–1873, British army officer. After varied service, he organized a Greek regiment to defend (1812–15) the Ionian Islands, and in 1827 he was made generalissimo of the Greek...

Lascaris, Constantine

(Encyclopedia)Lascaris, Constantine kŏnˈstəntēn lăsˈkərĭs [key], d. 1501?, Greek grammarian. After the fall of Constantinople, Lascaris went to Italy and in Milan obtained the patronage of Francesco Sforza....