In the decades at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries the scientific scene in Turin was quite extraordinary. The University took on a central role in research which, with regard to certain sectors, at first gravitated mainly around two other poles in Turin, the Accademia delle Scienze and the Regie Scuole di Artiglieria e Fortificazione. Schools of thought were developed, scientific discussions multiplied, new journals were started, the collaboration between the University and industry began, and publishers were attentive to the popularisation of science. Mathematics in Turin especially came to play a crucial role in Italian research, thanks to three scientific schools which flourished simultaneously in this period in the Piedmontese capital around three important figures in the field of mathematics: Corrado Segre, Giuseppe Peano and Vito Volterra. Segre was still very young when he took on the role of leader of the school in the field of algebraic geometry, making Turin, at the end of the century, one of the most important points of reference for scholars throughout Italy and elsewhere in Europe. This work is first and foremost a reconstruction of his formation on the basis of his scientific writings, archive documents and unpublished letters, particularly demonstrating the influence of Felix Klein on the first research work on hyperspatial geometry. It goes on to outline the fundamental stages of his university career and scientific research, with particular attention to the reconstruction of the beginnings in Turin of the Italian school of algebraic geometry. In Turin at the end of the 19th century, in fact, Segre was able to create around him a climate of wildly enthusiastic work, not without its conflicts and sometimes very heated but always lively discussions, the fruits of which were enjoyed by the whole of Italy. This involved not only the students whose theses he supervised on the most advanced subjects of research, but also the newly graduated mathematicians who, attracted by his fame, came to Turin to hear his lectures. Among them were such high-profile mathematicians as Guido Castelnuovo, Gino Fano, Federigo Enriques, Beppo Levi e Francesco Severi. In the light of the unpublished lecture notebooks, and of the testimony of students and colleagues, it is also possible to trace the features of Segre's university teaching, showing how his working method is reflected in his understanding of the role which higher studies should play for the young. Particular attention is given to the conflict with Giuseppe Peano,creator of the school of mathematical logic - a conflict framed by the "Rivista di matematica" and by the Turin Faculty of Sciences itself, and showing precisely the differing points of view on the question of working method in scientific research, on the relationship between rigour and intuition and, again, on the best way to start young people on research.

Corrado Segre e le “orge geometriche “ torinesi di fine Ottocento

GIACARDI, Livia Maria
2007-01-01

Abstract

In the decades at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries the scientific scene in Turin was quite extraordinary. The University took on a central role in research which, with regard to certain sectors, at first gravitated mainly around two other poles in Turin, the Accademia delle Scienze and the Regie Scuole di Artiglieria e Fortificazione. Schools of thought were developed, scientific discussions multiplied, new journals were started, the collaboration between the University and industry began, and publishers were attentive to the popularisation of science. Mathematics in Turin especially came to play a crucial role in Italian research, thanks to three scientific schools which flourished simultaneously in this period in the Piedmontese capital around three important figures in the field of mathematics: Corrado Segre, Giuseppe Peano and Vito Volterra. Segre was still very young when he took on the role of leader of the school in the field of algebraic geometry, making Turin, at the end of the century, one of the most important points of reference for scholars throughout Italy and elsewhere in Europe. This work is first and foremost a reconstruction of his formation on the basis of his scientific writings, archive documents and unpublished letters, particularly demonstrating the influence of Felix Klein on the first research work on hyperspatial geometry. It goes on to outline the fundamental stages of his university career and scientific research, with particular attention to the reconstruction of the beginnings in Turin of the Italian school of algebraic geometry. In Turin at the end of the 19th century, in fact, Segre was able to create around him a climate of wildly enthusiastic work, not without its conflicts and sometimes very heated but always lively discussions, the fruits of which were enjoyed by the whole of Italy. This involved not only the students whose theses he supervised on the most advanced subjects of research, but also the newly graduated mathematicians who, attracted by his fame, came to Turin to hear his lectures. Among them were such high-profile mathematicians as Guido Castelnuovo, Gino Fano, Federigo Enriques, Beppo Levi e Francesco Severi. In the light of the unpublished lecture notebooks, and of the testimony of students and colleagues, it is also possible to trace the features of Segre's university teaching, showing how his working method is reflected in his understanding of the role which higher studies should play for the young. Particular attention is given to the conflict with Giuseppe Peano,creator of the school of mathematical logic - a conflict framed by the "Rivista di matematica" and by the Turin Faculty of Sciences itself, and showing precisely the differing points of view on the question of working method in scientific research, on the relationship between rigour and intuition and, again, on the best way to start young people on research.
2007
37
243
272
Corrado Segre; Matematica a Torino; Secolo XIX-XX; Scuola italiana di geometria algebrica
L. Giacardi
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2318/24976
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