mathematics

Niels Nielsen (mathematician)

Niels Nielsen (mathematician) is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Niels Nielsen (mathematician) rather than just read about it. In short: Niels Nielsen (2 December 1865, in Ørslev – 16 September 1931, in Copenhagen) was a Danish mathematician who specialised in mathematical analysis. Life and work Nielsen was the son of humble peasants and grew up in the western part of the island of Funen.

Key takeaways

Niels Nielsen (mathematician) belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Niels Nielsen (mathematician) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Niels Nielsen (mathematician) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Niels Nielsen (2 December 1865, in Ørslev – 16 September 1931, in Copenhagen) was a Danish mathematician who specialised in mathematical analysis.

Life and work Nielsen was the son of humble peasants and grew up in the western part of the island of Funen. In 1891 he graduated in mathematics from the University of Copenhagen and in 1895 obtained his doctorate. In 1909 he succeeded Julius Petersen as Professor of Mathematics at the University of Copenhagen. His most original works were on special functions, with an important contribution to the theory of the gamma function. In 1917 he suffered from an illness from which he never fully recovered. From this date onward he became interested in the number theory, Bernoulli numbers, Stirling numbers, and the history of mathematics, writing two books on Danish mathematicians of the time period 1528-1908, and two other books on French mathematicians.

Selected publications Om en klasse bestemte integraler og nogle derved definerede semi-periodiske funktioner, J. Møller, 1895 (dänisch; Dissertation) Handbuch der Theorie der Cylinderfunktionen, B. G. Teubner, Leipzig 1904 (im Internet-Archiv) Handbuch der Theorie der Gammafunktion, B. G. Teubner, Leipzig 1906 (im Internet-Archiv, dito, dito) Theorie des Integrallogarithmus und verwandter Transzendenten, B. G. Teubner, Leipzig 1906 (im Internet-Archiv, bei der Cornell University) Der Eulersche Dilogarithmus und seine Verallgemeinerungen, E. Karras, 1909; Nova Acta Leopoldina 90, 1909, S. 121–212 (Jahrbuch-Bericht) Lehrbuch der unendlichen Reihen. Vorlesungen gehalten an der Universität Kopenhagen, B. G. Teubner, Leipzig 1909 (im Internet-Archiv, bei der Cornell University) Matematiken i Danmark. Bidrag til en bibliografisk-historisk oversigt (Mathematik in Dänemark. Beiträge zu einem bibliographisch-historischen Überblick), 2 Bände 1801–1908 und 1528–1800, Gyldendalske Boghandel Nordisk Forlag, København & Kristiania 1910 1912 (dänisch) Elemente der Funktionentheorie. Vorlesungen gehalten an der Universität Kopenhagen, B. G. Teubner, Leipzig 1911 (bei der Cornell University) Traité élémentaire des nombres de Bernoulli, Gauthier-Villars, Paris 1923 (französisch; bei Gallica) Franske matematikere under revolutionen, Bianco Lunos Bogtrykkeri, 1927 (dänisch; mit 76 Mathematiker-Biographien); Géomètres français sous la révolution, Levin & Munksgaard, 1929 (französische Übersetzung; Jahrbuch-Bericht)

References Harald Bohr: Niels Nielsen 2. December 1865 – 16. September 1931, Matematisk Tidsskrift B, 1931, S. 41–45. Thøger Bang: Niels Nielsen 1865–1931, Nordisk Matematisk Tidsskrift 13, 1965, S. 121–122.

External links Niels Nielsen at the Mathematics Genealogy Project O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Niels Nielsen", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews Niels Nielsen on Theseus

Illustrations

Niels Nielsen (mathematician) illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Niels Nielsen (mathematician)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Niels Nielsen (mathematician) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Niels Nielsen (mathematician) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Niels Nielsen (mathematician) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Niels Nielsen (mathematician)

In research: Niels Nielsen (mathematician) appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Niels Nielsen (mathematician) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Niels Nielsen (mathematician) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1865 births, 1931 deaths, 19th-century Danish mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Niels Nielsen (mathematician) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Niels Nielsen (mathematician) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Niels Nielsen (mathematician) means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Niels Nielsen (mathematician) in simple terms?

Niels Nielsen (2 December 1865, in Ørslev – 16 September 1931, in Copenhagen) was a Danish mathematician who specialised in mathematical analysis. Life and work Nielsen was the son of humble peasants and grew up in the western part of the island of Funen.

Why does Niels Nielsen (mathematician) matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Niels Nielsen (mathematician)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Niels Nielsen (mathematician).