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From: "Peter Ross" <PRoss@scu.edu>
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Subject: Re: [HM] Emmy Noether & Einstein
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Re Colin McLarty's question below about whether Einstein ever met
Emmy Noether, I'd like to provide a possible answer that is mentioned in an
article by Clark Kimberling in the American Mathematical Monthly, vol.79:2
(February 1972), pgs. 136-149. On p. 137 Kimberling quotes Einstein's
letter to the New York Times (in which Einstein states that "Fraulein
Noether was the most significant mathematical genius thus far produced
since the higher education of women began"). Kimberling then states that a
note in the Bryn Mawr Alumnae Bulletin files reads, "The above (EINSTEIN'S
LETTER) was inspired, if not written, by Dr. Hermann Weyl, eminent German
mathematician. Mr. Einstein had never met Miss Noether."
Kimberling later notes (p.147) that starting in February, 1934,
Noether gave weekly lectures at the Institue for Advanced Study at
Princeton and usually visited afterwards with Weyl and others before
returning to nearby Bryn Mawr College. Since Einstein was one of a few
people at the Institute for Advance Study in those days and had common
acquaintences such as Hermann Weyl I find it hard to believe that he and
Noether would not have met. I'm copying Clark Kimberling with this message;
perhaps he has more information on this matter.
Noether aficionados (meaning Emmy, of course, not Max or Fritz)
should check out Kimberling's webpage
http://cedar.evansville.edu/~ck6/bstud/noether.html
where in addition to references on Noether they will find a great photo of
Der Noether, Hermann Weyl, and others (taken from the book "Emmy Noether: A
Tribute to Her Life and Work" by Brewer and Smith).
Peter Ross
Santa Clara University
>>> cxm7@po.cwru.edu 02/02/00 01:30PM >>>
Is there any evidence that Einstein actually met Emmy Noether, or
even corresponded directly with her? He thought very well of her work on
differential invariants. But I think he knew of that work by correspondence
and talks with Klein.
I will mention that an extensive search of Math Reviews on-line
found nearly 80% of all references to Emmy Noether are references to this
work, on differential invariants and conservation laws, often by physicists.
Mathematicians are much slower to cite her. I believe mathematicians are
getting better though, as for example Eisenbud's COMMUTATIVE ALGEBRA with
extensive comments on her influence.
Colin McLarty
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