No label defined (Q4501767)

It is noted that in his famous 1854 Habilitationsvortrag ``Über die Hypothesen, welche der Geometrie zugrunde liegen'', Riemann developed a metric geometry based on the element of an arc \[ ds = F(x^1, \dots, x^n,dx^1,\dots, dx^n), \] where the function \(F(x,y)\) is linearly homogeneous in \(y\). An important special case is when \[ F^2(x,dx) = g_{ik}(x)\,dx^i\,dx^k. \] Subsequent developments have given this the name Riemannian geometry and it had an impressive development in the second half of the 20th century. Riemann himself calculated the curvature tensor in Riemannian geometry. But the general case of the problem was not solved and was the content of problem 23 of Hilbert's Paris address of 1900. It is underlined by the author that \textit{the general case is just as simple} and a main point went unnoticed by Riemann and his successors. As to the author, he published in 1948 a paper solving the problem of equivalence of Finsler manifolds i.e., the local problem for Finsler metrics to differ by a coordinate transformation. According to the author the problem discussed should be called Riemann-Finsler geometry. Major developments in global Riemannian geometry have been made in the second half of the 20th century [see the review by \textit{M. Berger}, Riemannian geometry during the second half of the 20th century, Jahresber. Dtsch. Math.-Ver. 100, No. 2, 45--208 (1998; Zbl 0928.53001)]. The author concludes that a major part of differential geometry in the 21st century should be Riemann-Finsler geometry. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1047.00015].