Mikhail Postnikov

Mikhail Mikhailovich Postnikov (Russian: Михаи́л Миха́йлович По́стников; 27 October 1927 – 27 May 2004) was a Soviet mathematician, known for his work in algebraic and differential topology.

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Mikhailovich and the family name is Postnikov.

Mikhail Postnikov
Born	(1927-10-27)27 October 1927 Shatura, Soviet Union
Died	27 May 2004(2004-05-27) (aged 76) Moscow, Russia
Alma mater	Moscow State University
Known for	Postnikov system Postnikov square
Scientific career
Fields	Mathematics
Institutions	Moscow State University
Doctoral advisor	Lev Pontryagin
Doctoral students	Sergei Novikov Yuli Rudyak Andrei Bolibrukh

Biography

He was born in Shatura, near Moscow. He received his Ph.D. from Moscow State University under the direction of Lev Pontryagin, and then became a professor at this university. He died in Moscow.

Selected publications

• Fundamentals of Galois theory, 1961; 142 pp. Dover reprint, 2004
• The variational theory of geodesics, Translated from the Russian by Scripta Technica, Inc. Edited by Bernard R. Gelbaum. Saunders, Philadelphia, Pa., 1967; 200 pp.[1]
• Linear algebra and differential geometry. Translated from the Russian by Vladimir Shokurov. Mir Publishers, 1982; 319 pp.
• Smooth manifolds, Mir Publishers, 1989; 511 pp.
• Geometry VI: Riemannian Geometry, Springer, 2001, 504 pp.

French

• Leçons de géométrie : Semestre I : Géométrie analytique, Éditions Mir, 1981; 279 pp.
• Leçons de géométrie : Semestre II : Algèbre linéaire et géométrie différentielle, Éditions Mir, 1981; 263 pp.
• Leçons de géométrie : Semestre III : Variétés différentiables, Éditions Mir, 1990; 431 pp.
• Leçons de géométrie : Semestre IV : Géométrie différentielle, Éditions Mir, 1990; 439 pp.
• Leçons de géométrie : Semestre V : Groupes et algèbres de Lie, Éditions Mir, 1985; 374 pp.

See also

• Postnikov system
• Postnikov square

References

1. Sacksteder, Richard (1970). "Review of The variational theory of geodesics by M. M. Postnikov". Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society. 76: 297–300. doi:10.1090/S0002-9904-1970-12452-1.

Bibliography

• O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Mikhail Mikhailovich Postnikov", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews.
• Postnikov, M. M. (1993), "Pages of a mathematical autobiography (1942--1953)", in Zdravkovska, Smilka; Duren, Peter L. (eds.), Golden years of Moscow mathematics, Hist. Math., 6, Providence, R.I.: American Mathematical Society, pp. 155–178, ISBN 978-0-8218-9003-5, MR 1246563
• Rudyak, Yuli (2009), "M. M. Postnikov: his life, work and legacy", Algebraic topology---old and new, Banach Center Publications, 85, Polish Acad. Sci. Inst. Math., Warsaw, pp. 15–29, doi:10.4064/bc85-0-1, ISBN 978-83-86806-04-1, MR 2503515