The Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy condition established a fundamental framework for numerical analysis in 1928, marking an early milestone in the career of a mathematician whose influence spanned decades. Born in Wrocław in 1904, Hans Lewy navigated the shifting political landscape of 20th-century Europe before settling into a long tenure within the American academic system.
Early Education and Departure from Germany
Lewy commenced his mathematical studies at the University of Göttingen in 1922. During this period, he engaged with scholars including David Hilbert, Emmy Noether, and Richard Courant, eventually completing his doctorate in 1926. Following the rise of the Nazi regime in 1933, he left Germany. After a period of transition involving research fellowships in Paris and Rome, he secured a position at Brown University in 1933.
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In 1935, Lewy joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, where he remained until his retirement in 1972. His tenure was interrupted in 1950 by his refusal to sign a compulsory loyalty oath, an action that led to his dismissal. He subsequently held visiting positions at Harvard University and Stanford University until the California Supreme Court ruled the oath requirement invalid in the case of Tolman v. Underhill, allowing for his return to Berkeley.
Contributions to Partial Differential Equations
Lewy is recognized for his contributions to the study of partial differential equations and functions of several complex variables. In 1957, he demonstrated a first-order linear partial differential operator with complex coefficients that lacked local solutions unless the function was real analytic. This discovery significantly influenced subsequent developments in local solvability theories for pseudo-differential equations and provided new perspectives on minimal surfaces and hydrodynamics.
Fast facts
- Born: 1904, Wrocław
- Died: 1988, Berkeley
- Education: University of Göttingen
- Major Employer: University of California, Berkeley
- Awards: Leroy P. Steele Prize (1979)
- Awards: Wolf Prize in Mathematics (1985)
- Citizenship: Germany, United States
- Marriage: Helen Crosby (1947)
Questions readers ask
What is the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy condition?
It is a criterion for the stability of numerical solutions to partial differential equations, formulated in 1928 by Lewy and his colleagues.
Why was Lewy dismissed from the University of California, Berkeley in 1950?
He was fired for refusing to sign a mandatory loyalty oath required of university employees at that time.
Achievements
- Wolf Prize in Mathematics — 1985
- Affiliated with Brown University, University of California, Berkeley and University of Göttingen
- Educated at University of Göttingen
- Worked as mathematician and university teacher
