Carlo Somigliana (20 September 1860 – 20 June 1955) was an Italian

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

and a classical mathematical physicist, faithful member of the school of

Enrico Betti Enrico Betti Glaoui (21 October 1823 – 11 August 1892) was an Italian mathematician, now remembered mostly for his 1871 paper on topology that led to the later naming after him of the Betti numbers. He worked also on the theory of equations ...

and Eugenio Beltrami. He made important contributions to

linear elasticity Linear elasticity is a mathematical model of how solid objects deform and become internally stressed by prescribed loading conditions. It is a simplification of the more general nonlinear theory of elasticity and a branch of continuum mechani ...

: the Somigliana integral equation, analogous to Green's formula in potential theory, and the Somigliana dislocations are named after him. Other fields he contribute to include seismic wave propagation,

gravimetry Gravimetry is the measurement of the strength of a gravitational field. Gravimetry may be used when either the magnitude of a gravitational field or the properties of matter responsible for its creation are of interest. The study of gravity c ...

and

glaciology Glaciology (; ) is the scientific study of glaciers, or, more generally, ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. Glaciology is an interdisciplinary Earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, clim ...

. One of his ancestors was

Alessandro Volta Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (, ; ; 18 February 1745 – 5 March 1827) was an Italian chemist and physicist who was a pioneer of electricity and Power (physics), power, and is credited as the inventor of the electric battery a ...

: he was an ancestor of Carlo's mother, Teresa Volta.

Life and career

Carlo Somigliana began his university studies in Pavia, where he was a student of Eugenio Beltrami. Later he moved to Pisa and had Betti among his teachers: in Pisa he established a lifelong friendship with

Vito Volterra Vito Volterra (, ; 3 May 1860 – 11 October 1940) was an Italian mathematician and physicist, known for his contributions to Mathematical and theoretical biology, mathematical biology and Integral equation, integral equations, being one of the ...

, who was one of his classmates, lasted until the death of the latter. He graduated from

Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...

in 1881. In 1887 Somigliana began teaching as an assistant at the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia (, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; ) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest un ...

. In 1892, as the result of a competitive examination, he was appointed as University Professor of Mathematical Physics. Somigliana was called to Turin University in 1903, to hold the Chair of

Mathematical Physics Mathematical physics is the development of mathematics, mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The ''Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the de ...

: He held the position until his retirement in 1935, and then he moved to Milan to live there. During the World War II, his Milan apartment was destroyed, and he moved to his family

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

in Casanova Lanza: though he retired from all his teaching duties after 1935, he did scientific research until close to his death in 1955.

Honors

On July 20, 1897, he was elected corresponding member of the

Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei The (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed"), anglicised as the Lincean Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy. Founded in ...

: subsequently, on 17 September 1908, he was elected national member.. On January 18, 1939, he was elected member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Selected publications

Historical, biographical and commemorative works

*. *. *. *. The "''Commemorative address pronounced on the occasion of the first seance of the sixth academic year, on the 30th of November 1941''" (English translation of the title) by Carlo Somigliana, colleague and friend of Vito Volterra.

Notes

References

Biographical and general references

*. The "''Yearbook''" of the renowned Italian scientific institution, including an historical sketch of its history, the list of all past and present members as well as a wealth of information about its academic and scientific activities. *. The "Obituary of Carlo Somigliana". *. "''The Italian contribution to the mathematical theory of elasticity''" is a survey paper describing the Italian contributions to the field of elasticity, including brief sketches of the biographies of the main scientists involved. *. *. Available from the website of the.

Scientific references

*. * .

External links

Carlo Somigliana
at the Academy of Sciences of Turin

at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences {{DEFAULTSORT:Somigliana, Carlo 1860 births 1955 deaths 19th-century Italian mathematicians 20th-century Italian mathematicians Italian mathematical physicists Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences Academic staff of the University of Turin