◀ ▲ ▶History / 19th-century / Person: Afanassjewa, Tatiana Alexeyevna
Person: Afanassjewa, Tatiana Alexeyevna
Tatiana Alexeyevna Afanassjewa was a Ukrainian-born Dutch mathematician and physicist who made contributions to the fields of statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- Tatiana studied at the normal school in St Petersburg, specialising in mathematics and science.
- After graduating from the normal school, Afanassjewa entered the Women's University in St Petersburg where she studied mathematics and physics under Orest D Chvolsou.
- Paul Ehrenfest had moved to Göttingen in 1901, like Tatiana Afanassjewa to study under Klein and Hilbert.
- Both Paul and Tatiana attended courses by Klein and Hilbert, and it was at this time that the two met.
- Ehrenfest wondered why Tatiana did not come to meetings of the mathematics club but he then discovered that the reason was that women were not allowed to attend.
- Paul and Tatiana Ehrenfest remained at Vienna although Paul had no position there.
- Klein asked Paul and Tatiana Ehrenfest to write an article on statistical mechanics.
- It was not that either of them had a post there but with this move Tatiana was returning to the city in which she was brought up and the move was aimed at finding somewhere where the couple could feel at home.
- It was a time when Paul Ehrenfest was deeply engrossed in research problems and Tatiana became involved in a project to reform mathematics teaching in Russia.
- Ehrenfest-Afanassjewa returned to Leiden where she remained for the rest of her life.
- Tatiana Ehrenfest played an important role in mathematical education in the Netherlands.
- From 1936 Tatiana Ehrenfest was the driving force behind the Mathematics Working Group of the Association of Education for Innovation and Education.
Born 19 November 1876, Kiev, Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine). Died 14 April 1964, Leiden, The Netherlands.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin Ukraine, Women
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
- Github:
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- non-Github:
- @J-J-O'Connor
- @E-F-Robertson
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
