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Mathematician

Bernard Bolzano

bohl-TSAH-noh
Modern

Bernard Bolzano was a Bohemian mathematician, logician, philosopher, theologian and Catholic priest who pioneered rigor in mathematical analysis and gave the first purely analytic proof of the intermediate value theorem. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Birth Date
1781-10-05 1
Birth Year
1781 1
Death Date
1848-12-18 1
Death Year
1848 1
Birthplace
Prague, Bohemia, Holy Roman Empire (present-day Czech Republic) 1
Death Place
Prague, Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic) 1
Nationality / Culture
Bohemian 1
Defining Contribution
Bolzano gave the first rigorous proof of the intermediate value theorem in 1817, years before Cauchy's independent 1821 proof, and developed an early epsilon-delta style definition of continuity. 2
Notable Work
Gave an early rigorous proof of the intermediate value theorem and helped free calculus from reliance on infinitesimals. 1
Biography
Gender
Male 1
Connections

Associated With

Continuity, Concepts
Source Continuous Function (Wikipedia)

Proofs Credited

Bolzano-Weierstrass Theorem, Theorems
Intermediate Value Theorem, Theorems
Source Intermediate Value Theorem (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Bernard Bolzano (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • lead paragraph
    a Bohemian mathematician
  • infobox
    18 December 1848
  • biography section
    Bolzano was the son of two pious Catholics.
  • Summary section
    Bernard Bolzano successfully freed calculus from the concept of the infinitesimal.
  • infobox IPA
    /bɒlˈtsɑːnoʊ/
  • opening paragraph
    Bernard Bolzano ... was a Bohemian mathematician, logician, philosopher, theologian and Catholic priest of Italian extraction, also known for his liberal views.
  • Lead section, gender reference
    Bernard Bolzano was a Bohemian mathematician, logician, philosopher, theologian and Catholic priest of Italian extraction, also known for his liberal views.
View the Source
2. Intermediate Value Theorem (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section
Quote, History section
The theorem was first proved by Bernard Bolzano in 1817
View the Source
Wikidata: Bernard Bolzano
Wikidata Q184735, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Continuous Function (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Continuity, History section
Quote, Associated With: Continuity, History section
A form of the epsilon-delta definition of continuity was first given by Bernard Bolzano in 1817.
View the Source

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