Mathematician:Nicolas Bourbaki

Mathematician

Nicolas Bourbaki is the name given to a group of (mainly) French mathematicians whose aim was to present an account of the entirety of modern mathematics, with an emphasis on rigour and generality.

The term Bourbakism is a disparaging term for a supposed modern tendency to define intuitively simple concepts in terms of ever more abstruse and abstract concepts until the obvious becomes incomprehensible.

At least one of the contributors to this website would consider it a delightful compliment if they were to be described as Bourbakist.

Nationality

French (mainly).

History

• Established: 1935

Theorems and Definitions

• Bourbaki-Witt Fixed Point Theorem (with Ernst Witt)
• Bourbaki Dangerous Bend Symbol

Results named for Nicolas Bourbaki can be found here.

Definitions of concepts named for Nicolas Bourbaki can be found here.

Publications

• 1949: Sur le théorème de Zorn (Archiv der Mathematik Vol. 2, no. 6: pp. 434 – 437)

• The Éléments de mathématique (Elements of Mathematics) series, which contains the following volumes:
  • I: Théorie des Ensembles (Theory of Sets)
  • II: Algèbre
    • (Algebra I)
    • (Algebra II)
  • III: Topologie Générale (General Topology)
  • IV: Fonctions d'Une Variable Réelle (Functions of One Real Variable)
  • V: Espaces Vectoriels Topologiques (Topological Vector Spaces)
  • VI: Intégration (Integration)
  • VII: Algèbre Commutative (Commutative Algebra)
  • VIII: Groupes et Algèbres de Lie (Lie Groups)
  • IX: Théories spectrales (Spectral theory)

• 1972: Séminaire de Géométrie Algébrique du Bois Marie

Also see

• Lightbulbs

Sources

• John J. O'Connor and Edmund F. Robertson: "Nicolas Bourbaki": MacTutor History of Mathematics archive

• 1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): Bourbaki, Nicolas (fl. 1939-)
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Bourbaki, Nicolas
• 2008: David Joyner: Adventures in Group Theory (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: Elementary, my dear Watson: $\S 1.2$: Elements, my dear Watson
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Bourbaki, Nicolas
• 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Bourbaki, Nicolas