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Seminar on the History of Mathematics
November 3, 2022 18:00, St. Peterburg, online


B.G. Galerkin and L.V. Kantorovich, collaboration in 1929-1945

I. I. Demidova



Abstract: The acquaintance of Boris Grigoryevich Galerkin (1871-1945) and Leonid Vitalievich Kantorovich (1912-1986) took place in 1930 within the walls of the Institute of Leningrad Industrial Construction Engineers (LIIPS). Boris Grigoryevich had rich experience as an expert in structural mechanics and as a teacher. In 1915, he became one of the authors of the method for solving the biharmonic equation of the theory of elasticity, the Bubnov-Galyorkin method, which later became the basis of the finite element method, which is currently widely used in calculating the strength of structures, as well as in other areas of mechanics. By the time he started working at LIIPS, Leonid Vitalievich graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics of the Leningrad State University. From the very beginning of his work, he became interested in the applied topics of the work of the Institute's employees. As a result, in 1936, a monograph by L. V. Kantorovich and V. I. Krylov “Methods for the approximate solution of partial differential equations” was published. It was one of the first monographs that played an important role in the development of computational mathematics. Kantorovich stood at the origins of the formation of modern computational mathematics, invented the method of linear programming. For the book "Economic calculation of the best use of resources", which he completed in besieged Leningrad, Leonid Vitalievich received the Nobel Prize. In 1939 L.V. Kantorovich was appointed head of the Department of Mathematics at the Military Engineering and Technology University. During the Great Patriotic War, in a group led by B.G. Galerkina L. V. Kantorovich worked on the problem of reducing risks and ensuring the safety of the Road of Life. Collaboration B.G. Galerkin and L.V. Kantorovich brought mutual benefit: Boris Grigorievich received mathematical justification and support in the application of methods for calculating structures, and Leonid Vital'evich significantly expanded the scope of mathematics and created new directions in computational mathematics.
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