Mark Kac

Mark Kac
Born	August 3, 1914 Krzemieniec, Russian Empire
Died	October 26, 1984(1984-10-26) (aged 70) California, USA
Residence	U.S.A.
Citizenship	Poland, U.S.A.
Nationality	Polish
Fields	Mathematics
Institutions	Cornell University Rockefeller University University of Southern California
Alma mater	Lwów University
Doctoral advisor	Hugo Steinhaus
Doctoral students	Harry Kesten William LeVeque William Newcomb Lonnie Cross Murray Rosenblatt Daniel Stroock
Known for	Feynman-Kac formula Erdős-Kac theorem
Notable awards	Birkhoff Prize (1978)

Mark Kac (pronounced kahts, Polish: Marek Kac, b. 3 August 1914, Krzemieniec, Russian Empire, now in Ukraine; d. 26 October 1984, California, USA) was a Polish mathematician.^[1] His main interest was probability theory. His question, "Can one hear the shape of a drum?" set off research into spectral theory, with the idea of understanding the extent to which the spectrum allows one to read back the geometry. (In the end, the answer was "no", in general.)

Kac completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Polish University of Lwów in 1937 under the direction of Hugo Steinhaus.^[2] While there, he was a member of the Lwów School of Mathematics. After receiving his degree he began to look for a position abroad, and in 1938 was granted a scholarship from the Parnas Foundation which enabled him to go work in the United States. He arrived in New York City in November, 1938.^[3] With the onset of World War II, Kac was able to remain in America, while his parents and brother who remained in Poland were murdered by the Germans in the mass executions in Krzemieniec (1942-43) for being Jewish.^[4] From 1939 until 1961 he was at Cornell University, first as an instructor, then from 1943 as assistant professor and from 1947 as full professor.^[5] While there, he became a naturalized US citizen in 1943. In 1961 he left Cornell and went to Rockefeller University in New York City. After twenty years there, he moved to the University of Southern California where he spent the rest of his career.

Books

• Mark Kac and Stanisław Ulam: Mathematics and Logic: Retrospect and Prospects, Praeger, New York (1968) Dover paperback reprint.

• Mark Kac, Enigmas of Chance: An Autobiography, Harper and Row, New York, 1985. Sloan Foundation Series. Published posthumously with a memoriam note by Gian-Carlo Rota. Kac's distinction between an "ordinary genius" like Hans Bethe and a "magician" like Richard Feynman has been widely quoted. (Kac knew both at Cornell University.)

See also

• Feynman-Kac formula
• Erdős-Kac theorem

References

1. ^ Obituary in Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, 11 November 1984
2. ^ Mark Kac at the Mathematics Genealogy Project.
3. ^ Mark Kac, Enigmas of Chance: An Autobiography, Harper and Row, New York, 1985. ISBN 0060154330
4. ^ M Kac, Enigmas of chance : an autobiography (California, 1987)
5. ^ O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Mark Kac", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews, http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Kac.html .

External links

• O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Mark Kac", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews, http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Kac.html .
• Mark Kac at the Mathematics Genealogy Project.

Persondata
Name	Kac, Mark
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 3, 1914
Place of birth
Date of death	October 26, 1984
Place of death