Person: Prieto, Sotero
Sotero Prieto was a Mexican mathematician who was important in the development of mathematical education in Mexico.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- Raúl Prieto qualified as a surveyor and hydrographer in the Instituto de Ciencias del Estado in 1879 and he became Professor of Analytical Geometry and Higher Algebra in the School of Engineers.
- It is worth noting that Sotero was the nephew of Isabel Ángela Prieto González Bango (also known as Isabel Prieto de Landázuri) (1833-1876), a famous poet and dramatist.
- In 1912 Prieto wrote the paper Sobre una propiedad de las epicicloides Ⓣ(On a property of epicycloids), published by the Scientific Society "Antonio Alzate", which studied rolling curves on epicycloids.
- Because of the clarity of his teaching, the courses given by Prieto at the National Preparatory School and the National School of Engineers, which later became part of the new National University of Mexico, had a great influence on the development and teaching of mathematics in Mexico.
- Joaquín Gallo joined the National School of Engineers in 1912 and Prieto joined in the following year.
- Prieto's contributions played a large role in producing a new generation of engineers in Mexico.
- During the years of the Revolution, Prieto was head of the cartography section of the Astronomical Observatory at Tacubaya in the west part of Mexico City.
- Prieto collaborated with his friend and colleague Joaquín Gallo (born 24 November 1882), who, as well as working at the National School of Engineers, worked at the Observatory at Tacubaya from 1903 when he became an assistant there, rising through the ranks until be became director of the observatory in 1916.
- In 1922 Prieto attended the first meeting of the International Astronomical Union in Rome as a representative of Mexico along with his colleague Joaquín Gallo.
- We mentioned above that Prieto published a paper in the Scientific Society "Antonio Alzate" in 1912.
- At that time there was no Mathematics Section in the Society but such a Section was founded by Prieto around 1932.
- This Society began publishing Memorias de la Sociedad Científica "Antonio Alzate" Ⓣ(Memoirs of the Scientific Society 'Antonio Alzate') in 1887 and from 1890 to 1931 published Memorias y revista de la Sociedad Científica "Antonio Alzate." Ⓣ(Memoirs and journal of the Scientific Society 'Antonio Alzate.') From 1932 onwards, there was a mathematics section founded by Prieto.
- They met, during Prieto's lifetime, every Friday at 7 o'clock in the evening to listen to lectures on higher mathematics.
- Around 1932, Prieto taught a course on the history of mathematics.
- Cajori's book became part of the Sotero Prieto Collection, housed in the library that bears his name in the Mathematics Institute.
- Unfortunately, this work, full of annotations in the margins by Prieto himself, was stolen from the library and has never been recovered.
- The handwritten notes that Prieto produced for his course were published in facsimile form in 1991 by the Mexican Institute of Culture with the title Historia de las Matemáticas Ⓣ(History of Mathematics).
- With him began a new era in the teaching of mathematics, in which his followers sought greater clarity in their teaching, following the style of Sotero.
- Sotero Prieto always advocated the professionalization of the practice of mathematics.
- He was educated at the National Preparatory School (1911-15), and the College of Engineering, National University of Mexico (1916-20) where he was taught by Prieto.
- The work that was being carried out by Prieto was carried forward by several of his colleagues, particularly by Alfonso Nápoles whom we mentioned above.
- He was part of Sotero Prieto's group of enthusiasts for higher mathematics and, after Sotero Prieto's death in 1935, he was the main figure to keep alive the idea of forming a group of mathematicians to promote the subject.
- This led to the founding of the Mexican Mathematical Society (Sociedad Matemática Mexicana) seven years after Prieto's death.
- The importance of Prieto in the development of mathematics in Mexico has been recognised in a number of ways.
- The street M Sotero Prieto, off Circuito Cientificos, in Ciudad Satélite is named for him as is the street Sotero Prieto in Guadalupe Insurgentes, Mexico City.
- Also named for him in Mexico City are the public library Biblioteca Sotero Prieto, the Sotero Prieto Auditorium and the Sotero Prieto School.
Born 25 December 1884, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Died 22 May 1935, Mexico City, Mexico.
View full biography at MacTutor
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Origin Mexico
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References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
