Alexander Grothendieck RIP

[OwlHoot]

A recent blog article has an extract from an essay written by Grothendieck himself on how he saw his role

The Rising Sea

[barrydidit]

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Grothendieck lived in his later years as a reclusive farmer and ecologist

Even better! I'd quite fancy that. Maybe not so much the ecology bit unless that was just 'not farming very hard' so the place went a bit wild and had lots of interesting stuff living there as a consequence.

[OwlHoot]

2014-11-14 Greatest mathematician of the 20th century and probably the most important scientific mind you've never heard of: Alexander Grothendieck dies aged 86

That not very snappy headline says it all, although probably most people here had heard of him.

Following is a fascinating account of his life and achievements by one of his colleagues, Pierre Cartier

Alexander Grothendieck - A Country Known Only by Name

Grothendieck was one of the best geometers in history, right up there with Archimedes, Gauss, and Riemann.