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Élie-Joseph Cartan,
(9 Apr 1869 - 6 May 1951)
French mathematician.
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Quotes by others about Élie-Joseph Cartan, (1)
Every mathematician knows it is impossible to understand an elementary course in thermodynamics. The reason is that the thermodynamics is based—as Gibbs has explicitly proclaimed—on a rather complicated mathematical theory, on the contact geometry. Contact geometry is one of the few “simple geometries” of the so-called Cartan’s list, but it is still mostly unknown to the physicist.
The first sentence is often seen standing alone as a quote, to imply thermodynamics is a chimera beyond reach. When read in the full context, the point is that thermodynamics becomes possible to understand in an advanced course. It includes a reference to the work of mathematician Élie Cartan. From 'Contact Geometry: The Geometrical Method of Gibbs’ Thermodynamics', collected in D. Caldi and G. Mostow, (eds.) Proceedings of the Gibbs Symposium: Yale University, May 15-17, 1989, (1990), 163.
See also:
- 9 Apr - short biography, births, deaths and events on date of Cartan's birth.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
