Kolmogorov: Life and creative activities (Q1263568)

The article tries to fully embrace the versatile life and creative activities of A. N. Kolmogorov, his exceptional breadth of scientific interests, his extraordinary scientific productivity and human generosity. Following in chronological order, this is an attempt to describe the basic scientific results and inventions of Kolmogorov by remarks, bringing out the impact of his ideas and works on the origin and development of several branches of science. The scientific atmosphere of high demand and lofty moral standards, his ability to encourage creativity and to spot a fitting problem or task for everyone, his extraordinary generous attitude to ideas - all these aspects are briefly attempted at being brought to life. The article considers several sources, especially a number of studies about Kolmogorov issued in Uspekhi Matematicheskikh Nauk and Theory of Probability and its Applications, as well as the comments to the three volumes of his selected works, published in Russian, in 1985, 1986 and 1987, respectively, by Nauka Publishing House.