Pierre Cartier Has Died
Pierre Cartier, a notable French mathematician and key member of the Bourbaki group, died on August 17 at 92, leaving a lasting impact on algebraic geometry and probability theory.
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Pierre Cartier, a prominent French mathematician, passed away on August 17 at the age of 92 in Marcoussis. He was a key figure in the Bourbaki group, a collective of mathematicians established in 1934 aimed at reforming and unifying mathematics. Cartier was known for his extensive contributions to the field, dedicating a significant portion of his career to Bourbaki from 1955 to 1983, during which he authored and edited numerous mathematical texts. Despite not receiving prestigious awards like the Fields Medal or the Abel Prize, his influence was profound, with many concepts in algebraic geometry and group theory bearing his name. He was recognized for his exceptional memory and broad knowledge, often summarizing advancements in various mathematical branches at Bourbaki seminars. Cartier's work extended beyond pure mathematics to include probability theory and early computer simulations in the 1980s. He was known for his curiosity and ability to draw analogies between different subjects, which he believed led to some of his best work. His legacy continues through the ongoing publications of the Bourbaki group, although it has not maintained the same prominence since his departure.
- Pierre Cartier died on August 17, 2024, at 92 years old.
- He was a significant member of the Bourbaki group from 1955 to 1983.
- Cartier contributed to various fields, including algebraic geometry and probability theory.
- He was known for his extensive memory and ability to connect different mathematical concepts.
- His work continues to influence mathematics, with many concepts named after him.
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2 comments> Mathematician Pierre Cartier, 92, died on August 17 in Marcoussis (Essonne). Though he never won the Fields Medal or the Abel Prize, the most famous awards in the discipline, nor was he ever appointed to the Academy of Sciences (he refused his election), this voluble and talkative scientist nevertheless marked his field in another way.
> Between 1955 and 1983, he was one of the pillars of the Bourbaki group, a semi-secret assembly of mathematicians born in 1934 to rebuild the discipline and unify it. “It was Bourbaki’s great period. Books published then are still very current," believes Frédéric Patras, research director at the CNRS at the University of Côte d'Azur, a student of Cartier. "He was the incarnation of Bourbaki." Pierre Cartier had estimated that he devoted a third of his time to this activity in the service of the community, writing or correcting nearly 200 pages per year.
> Endowed with a great memory, he thought he was the only one to have the overview of dozens of published works. His commitment went so far as to want to self-dissolve the group, fifty years after its birth, arguing that the same age limit should be applied to the collective as to its members. The group survived its departure and continues to publish texts, but with less echo than during this prosperous period.
> “My method is my character”
> Pierre Cartier also holds the “record” for presentations at the “Bourbaki seminar” during which the speaker summarizes for specialists the progress of various branches of mathematics. The archives list 40 between 1953 and 2012. This number testifies to the great culture of mathematics, which is also its strength. His career began in algebraic geometry, the art of relating geometric shapes to functions describing them, and continued in group theory, a key concept for describing structures underlying various abstractions. In these fields, concepts still used bear his name, such as divisors or Cartier operations.
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