Guido Castelnuovo

August 14, 1865 (age 86)

Venice, Italy

In Rome, Castelnuovo became assistant to E. D’Ovidio at the University of Turin, where he had important exchanges of ideas with Segre. From 1891 until 1935 he taught projective and analytical geometry at the University of Rome. After the death of Cremona, Castelnuovo also taught advanced geometry and, later, courses in the calculus of probability. When Jewish students were barred from state universities, Castelnuovo organized courses for them. Castelnuovo’s scientific activity was principally in algebraic geometry and was important in the Italian school of geometry, which included Cremona, Segre, Enriques, and Severi. His mathematical results particularly concerned algebraic surfaces and the theories constituting their background. In connection with these results is the theorem of Kronecker-Castelnuovo: “If the sections of an irreducible algebraic surface with a doubly infinite system of planes turn out to be reducible curves, then the above surface is either ruled or the Roman surface of Steiner.” The origin of this theorem was explained by Castelnuovo as follows: Kronecker, during a meeting of the Accademia dei Lincei in 1886, had communicated verbally one of his theorems on irreducible algebraic surfaces having infinite plane sections that are split into two curves. But the written note was not sent by Kronecker to the Accademia dei Lincei, nor was it published elsewhere. Further, Castelnuovo held that perhaps Kronecker had not finished the final draft. On the basis of information furnished to him by Cremona and Cerruti, Castelnuovo reconstructed the demonstration of the theorem. He also developed the theorem that every unruled irreducible algebraic surface whose plane sections are elliptical curves is rational. Besides writing on algebraic geometry, the calculus of probability, and the theory of relativity, Castelnuovo also delved into the history of mathematics, producing Le origini del calcolo infinitesimale nell’era moderna (1938), which contains a quick and effective summary of the evolution of infinitesimal methods from the Renaissance to Newton and Leibniz. Castelnuovo retired from teaching in 1935. It was a period of great political difficulty in Italy. After the liberation, he was special commissioner of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche and then president of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei until his death. He was also a member of many other academies. On 5 December 1949 he was named senator of the Italian Republic for life. Castelnuovo died on April 27, 1952, in Rome.

Guido Castelnuovo

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mathematician scientist

Background

Castelnuovo was born on August 14, 1865, Venice, Italy, the son of Enrico Castelnuovo, a novelist and campaigner for the unification of Italy.

Education

Castelnuovo studied mathematics at the University of Padua under Veronese and was graduated in 1886. He then spent a year in Rome on a postgraduate scholarship.

Career

In Rome, Castelnuovo became assistant to E. D’Ovidio at the University of Turin, where he had important exchanges of ideas with Segre. From 1891 until 1935 he taught projective and analytical geometry at the University of Rome. After the death of Cremona, Castelnuovo also taught advanced geometry and, later, courses in the calculus of probability. When Jewish students were barred from state universities, Castelnuovo organized courses for them.

Castelnuovo’s scientific activity was principally in algebraic geometry and was important in the Italian school of geometry, which included Cremona, Segre, Enriques, and Severi. His mathematical results particularly concerned algebraic surfaces and the theories constituting their background. In connection with these results is the theorem of Kronecker-Castelnuovo: “If the sections of an irreducible algebraic surface with a doubly infinite system of planes turn out to be reducible curves, then the above surface is either ruled or the Roman surface of Steiner.” The origin of this theorem was explained by Castelnuovo as follows: Kronecker, during a meeting of the Accademia dei Lincei in 1886, had communicated verbally one of his theorems on irreducible algebraic surfaces having infinite plane sections that are split into two curves. But the written note was not sent by Kronecker to the Accademia dei Lincei, nor was it published elsewhere. Further, Castelnuovo held that perhaps Kronecker had not finished the final draft. On the basis of information furnished to him by Cremona and Cerruti, Castelnuovo reconstructed the demonstration of the theorem. He also developed the theorem that every unruled irreducible algebraic surface whose plane sections are elliptical curves is rational. Besides writing on algebraic geometry, the calculus of probability, and the theory of relativity, Castelnuovo also delved into the history of mathematics, producing Le origini del calcolo infinitesimale nell’era moderna (1938), which contains a quick and effective summary of the evolution of infinitesimal methods from the Renaissance to Newton and Leibniz.

Castelnuovo retired from teaching in 1935. It was a period of great political difficulty in Italy. After the liberation, he was special commissioner of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche and then president of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei until his death. He was also a member of many other academies. On 5 December 1949 he was named senator of the Italian Republic for life.

Castelnuovo died on April 27, 1952, in Rome.

Achievements

Castelnuovo is best known for his contributions to the field of algebraic geometry. His contributions to the study of statistics and probability theory are also significant.

Works

$Calcolo delle probabilit\u00E0 Calcolo delle probabilit\u00E0$ Lezioni di Geometria Analitica e Proiettiva, Lezioni di Geometria Analitica e Proiettiva,

Lezioni di Geometria Analitica e Proiettiva, Lezioni di Geometria Analitica e Proiettiva,

book
- Lezioni di Geometria Analitica e Proiettiva,
  (Volume 1, Italian Edition)
- Calcolo delle probabilità
  (Italian Edition)

Membership

Accademia dei Lincei , Italy

1952
Académie des Sciences , France

Connections

Father:: Enrico Castelnuovo

References

Dictionary of Scientific Biography Volume 3
1971

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