Mark Kac
Mathematician, Academic
1914 – 1984
Who was Mark Kac?
Mark Kac was a Polish mathematician. His main interest was probability theory. His question, "Can one hear the shape of a drum?" set off research into spectral theory, with the idea of understanding the extent to which the spectrum allows one to read back the geometry.
Kac completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Polish University of Lwów in 1937 under the direction of Hugo Steinhaus. While there, he was a member of the Lwów School of Mathematics. After receiving his degree he began to look for a position abroad, and in 1938 was granted a scholarship from the Parnas Foundation which enabled him to go work in the United States. He arrived in New York City in November, 1938. With the onset of World War II, Kac was able to remain in America, while his parents and brother who remained in Poland were murdered by the Germans in the mass executions in Krzemieniec for being Jewish. From 1939 until 1961 he was at Cornell University, first as an instructor, then from 1943 as assistant professor and from 1947 as full professor. While there, he became a naturalized US citizen in 1943. In the academic year 1951–1952 Kac was on sabbatical at the Institute for Advanced Study.
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- Born
- Aug 16, 1914
Kremenets - Ethnicity
- Jewish people
- Poles
- Nationality
- Poland
- United States of America
- Profession
- Education
- PhD, Lviv University
Mathematics
(1931 - 1937/06)
- PhD, Lviv University
- Employment
- Cornell University
- Lived in
- Southern California
(1981 - 1984/10/25)
- Southern California
- Died
- Oct 25, 1984
Southern California
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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