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| Poincaré |
[En-US]
Today... today was the day. The day on which the great, the master, the professor, the sage, the doctor, the philosopher, the prophet finally rested. A hundred years have passed. Did he feel fulfilled during his lasts moments of life? We will never know. All we can do for him is cherish his memories, study his works, respect his image and burn Einstein's pictures.Henri Poincaré was a great mathmatician, scientist and also a genius. Born in 29 April 1854, he won the first prizes on school math competitions, being nicknamed "monster of mathematics" by his teacher. He had trouble with Physycal Education and suffered a lot during his childhood due to a diphtheria illness. By 1885, Poincaré was considered a 30 year-old genius for mathematically proving why the solar system holds together. In 1887, he was elected to the Académie des Sciences and President of the Academy in 1906. "The breadth of his research led to him being the only member elected to every one of the five sections of the Academy, namely the geometry, mechanics, physics, geography and navigation sections. He was also made chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur and was honoured by a large number of learned societies around the world. He won numerous prizes, medals and awards." [1]
His works reach several areas, such as Abelian Functions, Number Theory, Electromagnetism, diferencial Equations, but specially Special Relativity and Chaos Theory. "But his most legendary achievement was something no one noticed until much, much later. At the turn of the century: Poincaré invented an entirely new field called algebraic topology; and today, it’s one of the most complicated and vibrant branches of mathematics. Think of it as a twisted version of geometry, in which shapes stretch, bend, and fold inside out." [2] You can check the full list here. As you can see, his existence was essential for all the 20th century's Mathematics/Physics/Technological development. You might be wondering why nobody talks about this guy or quote him on seminars. Why don't we see his face on websites, stupid magazines that talk about "geniuses" nor on college boys' shirts? Well, if you have read this article, you actually got a pretty good idea. Poincaré wasn't forgotten for his work by those who are actually involved on his researching areas. What happened is that "they" needed to sell Einstein's geniality to convince that Relativity was his, so it was a forced propaganda and still is.
Nobody forced Poincaré anywhere, so he rested. In peace? I hope. I hope he knows there are people who believe in him, watching over him and drinking in his memory.
You can count on me and on other scientists around the world to attend to Dynamical Systems: 100 years after Poincaré, an international conference held at Gijón, Spain. It will happen between September 3rd and 7th [3]. For now, well, you enjoy this touching poem I made for Henri Poincaré. Hope he likes it.
Not a Theory, Not Relative
You've expanded our sight
May the alumni stand by your light
May those who read also shine
You've done what you needed
May intelligence be seeded
May our minds be feeded
You've done what they couldn't
May they turn into ruins
May we all rest assured
You've risen above
May your soul not be lost
May you worry no more
You've just been honoré
May your name not be tacheté
May live forever Henri Poincaré
-Jamatei O. Poeta
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