Jacques Hadamard

author

Jacques Hadamard

1865–1963

Best known for major advances in number theory, analysis, and geometry, this brilliant French mathematician also wrote one of the most loved books about how mathematical ideas are born. His life stretched from the late 19th century into the space age, linking rigorous research with a deep curiosity about creative thinking.

1 Audiobook

Four Lectures on Mathematics, Delivered at Columbia University in 1911

Four Lectures on Mathematics, Delivered at Columbia University in 1911

by Jacques Hadamard

About the author

Born in Versailles on December 8, 1865, Jacques Hadamard became one of France’s great mathematicians. He studied at the École Normale Supérieure and went on to teach at several leading institutions, building a reputation for sharp, wide-ranging work across pure mathematics.

Hadamard made lasting contributions to number theory, complex analysis, differential equations, and geometry. He is especially remembered for his role in the proof of the prime number theorem and for important work on partial differential equations and geodesics.

Beyond research, he wrote warmly and insightfully about the way mathematicians think. His book An Essay on the Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field helped make him known to many readers outside specialist mathematics, and it still stands out for its human view of discovery and imagination.