The birth of Lie's theory of groups (Q1345062)

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The birth of Lie's theory of groups
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    The birth of Lie's theory of groups (English)
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    1 March 1995
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    Sophus Lie was the mathematician who devoted his whole life to the establishment of the theory of continuous transformation groups, which involved a wholly new mathematical approach. Against the background of the mathematical milieu in the time of Lie, the author analyzes the specific dynamics by means of which different mathematical concepts combine quite unexpectedly, thus leading to wholly new theories and ideas. Lie's Berlin period is amply presented in relation to the achievements of the one who was to become a close friend of his: Felix Klein; there follows a discussion on the theory of first-order PDEs, especially in the form offered by Jacobi. By that time (around 1869), the ``group theory'' simply meant the theory of finite permutation groups, with application to algebraic equations, as shown by Galois. Apart from Lie, it was another mathematician, Jordan, interested in applying the theory of permutation groups to geometry. Lie's Idee Fixe: `The fact that a differential equation, or a system of such equations, admits known (possibly infinitesimal) transformations, which commute or which, more generally, form a group, should translate into information about its integration. Establish theorems showing this is the case'. Also, Lie made a characterization of contact transformations very useful in analytical reasoning.
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    Lie
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    Klein
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    Jordan
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    Galois
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    theory of groups
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    transformation groups
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    reciprocity
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    tetrahedral line complexes
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