Jacques Charles François Sturm | |
|---|---|
 Jacques Charles François Sturm portrayed byJean-Daniel Colladon | |
| Born | (1803-09-29)29 September 1803 |
| Died | 15 December 1855(1855-12-15) (aged 52) |
| Known for | Sturm separation theorem Sturm series Sturm's theorem Sturm–Liouville theory Sturm–Picone comparison theorem Speed of sound Sturm's conoid |
| Awards | Légion d'Honneur (1837) Copley Medal (1840) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | École Polytechnique |
Jacques Charles François Sturm (29 September 1803 – 15 December 1855) was a Frenchmathematician, who made a significant addition to equation theory with his work,Sturm's theorem.[1]
Sturm was born inGeneva,France in 1803. The family of his father, Jean-Henri Sturm, had emigrated fromStrasbourg around 1760—about 50 years before Charles-François's birth. His mother's name was Jeanne-Louise-Henriette Gremay.[2]
In 1818, he started to follow the lectures of theacademy of Geneva. The death of his father forced Sturm to give lessons to children of the rich in order to support his own family the following year. In 1823, he became tutor to the son ofMadame de Staël.
At the end of that year, Sturm stayed inParis for a short time following the family of his student. He resolved, with his school-fellowJean-Daniel Colladon, to try his fortune in Paris, and obtained employment on theBulletin universel.[3]
In 1829, he discovered thetheorem that bears his name, and concernsreal-root isolation, that is the determination of the number and the localization of the realroots of apolynomial.[4]
Sturm benefited from the 1830 revolution, as his Protestant faith ceased to be an obstacle to employment in public high schools. At the end of 1830, he was thus appointed as a professor of Mathématiques Spéciales at thecollège Rollin.
He was chosen a member of theAcadémie des Sciences in 1836, filling the seat ofAndré-Marie Ampère. Sturm becamerépétiteur in 1838, and in 1840 professor in theÉcole Polytechnique. The same year, after the death ofPoisson, Sturm was appointed asmechanics professor of theFaculté des sciences de Paris [fr]. His works,Cours d'analyse de l'école polytechnique (1857–1863) andCours de mécanique de l'école polytechnique (1861), were published after his death in Paris,[3] and were regularly republished.
He was the co-eponym of theSturm–Liouville theory withJoseph Liouville.
In 1826, with his colleagueJean-Daniel Colladon, Sturm helped make the first experimental determination of thespeed of sound in water.[2]
In 1851 his health began to fail. He was able to return to teaching for a while during his long illness, but died in 1855.[2]
The asteroid31043 Sturm is named for him.[5] Sturm's name is one ofthe 72 names engraved at theEiffel Tower.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sturm, Jacques Charles François".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 1053.
Texts on Wikisource:| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
| Other | |
