Influential German mathematician (1862–1943) who developed a broad range of fundamental mathematical ideas in calculus, algebra, geometry, and proof theory. ALS in German, signed “Ihr Hilbert,” one page, 8.25 x 11.5, April 27, 1937. Handwritten letter to a "Colleague," the Nobel Prize–winning physicist Max von Laue, in part (translated): "I would have liked to review Vahlen's work again in order to report to you in detail; however, I have already given away all my separate copies and at the moment I have not been able to obtain any from local colleagues either. I do not currently recall any significant works by Vahlen, but I do not intend by this remark to create an unfavorable opinion of Vahlen." Includes von Laue's typed transmittal letter (signed "M. v. Laue") to his friend, the textile manufacturer and autograph collector Reinhold Maute in Hechingen, in part (translated): "The letter stems from David Hilbert, the acknowledged greatest mathematician of the last 100 years, who only did not receive a Nobel Prize because there is none for mathematics." In fine condition, with two file holes to the bottom edge.
Hilbert is regarded as one of the most significant mathematicians of modern times. Many of his works in the field of mathematics and mathematical physics established independent research areas. With his proposals, he laid the foundation for the still significant formalistic view of the foundations of mathematics and initiated a critical analysis of the definitions of mathematical concepts and mathematical proof. These analyses led to Gödel's incompleteness theorem, which, among other things, shows that Hilbert's program, the complete axiomatization of mathematics that he aimed for, cannot be completely fulfilled. Hilbert's programmatic address at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Paris in 1900, in which he presented a list of 23 mathematical problems, significantly influenced mathematical research of the 20th century.
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