JD
Science & Medicine

Jesse Douglas

Who

Jesse Douglas · Science & Medicine

What

Solved Plateau's problem (first Fields Medal, 1936)

When

1897, New York City, United States — 1965, New York City, United States

Where

United States

Biography

Jesse Douglas is recognized among Jewish contributors to Science & Medicine — Solved Plateau's problem (first Fields Medal, 1936)

How & why

Born into a Jewish family in New York City, Douglas trained at City College and Columbia. He gave the first general solution to Plateau's problem — proving that a minimal surface (a soap-film-like surface of least area) spans any given closed curve — a question open since the 19th century. For this he received one of the two first Fields Medals in 1936. He was Jewish.

Sources & external links

Verify and go deeper with these external references.

Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Mathematics

Contributions & Sources

Solved Plateau's problem (first Fields Medal, 1936)

1897

Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Mathematics