Felix Klein and mathematicians from Russia – with a special view on applications of mathematics

The lecture attempts to explain the interaction between Felix Klein (1849-1925) and mathematicians from Russia. Part of this is that Klein, as editor of the Mathematische Annalen, sought broad international contacts, so he also promoted the publications of Russian authors. He also deliberately organized an exchange of the journal Mathematische Annalen with mathematical journals published in Russia. In his research seminars, Klein analyzed the latest international literature with his students. Early on, this included the methods and theories of Russian mathematicians, especially Chebyshev and his students in Petersburg. Since Klein had all the lectures given in his seminars recorded, a unique source exists on this. We will deal with a part of these minute books (Protokollbucher). In particular, students (male and female) who came from Petersburg and other places from Russia to study with Klein will be considered. Klein's relationship with some Russian mathematicians (A.A. Markov; N.Y. Zhukovsky; S.P. Timoshenko…), who were also or primarily important in developing numerical methods and promoting applications of mathematics, will be a focus of the talk. It will also be shown how Felix Klein tried to promote the knowledge of Russian language, culture and science in Germany.
Renate Tobies (2021), Felix Klein: Visions for Mathematics, Applivations, and Education. Cham: Birkhauser (Springer Nature); XX+677pp., 46 Figures, 10 Tables).
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