George David Birkhoff and John von Neumann: A question of priority and the ergodic theorems, 1931-1932 (Q1604662): Difference between revisions

The study under review approaches and solves one of the most disputed aspects in the history of mathematics, namely the scientific priority of either George David Birkhoff or John von Neumann as to the ergodic theorems. The problem was quite delicate, if considering the main ``actors'' involved in it: Birkhoff, who, at that time, was an undisputed and unanimously recognized leader of the American mathematical life, on one side, and the very young von Neumann, who was only in the beginning of his career as a reputed scientist in the same America. The main question is why the quasi-ergodic hypothesis -- more precisely, why Birkhoff's ergodic theorem -- was printed before von Neumann's mean ergodic one. Finally, the dispute was solved in a friendly manner, yet one should not leave aside completely the psychological implications of such a delicate problem. Special mention should be made here of the letter sent by von Neumann to Robertson in 1932. Actually, both Birkhoff and von Neumann are entitledly considered as creators of a new branch in mathematics!