Fundamental theories: Professor Masahiro delivering the lecture at UBD. Picture: Syafie Nadi
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
IN AN effort to expose students to the fundamental theories in the area of mathematics, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) invited Japanese Professor Masahiro Uehara to address a lecture on the Bieberbach conjecture at the university's Science Faculty building.
Professor Masahiro from the Institute of Research Promotion of Kagawa University in Japan was on his fourth visit to UBD to address participants on the history and theory behind the Bieberbach conjecture.
The conjecture pertained to the area of complex analysis, a branch of mathematics. The famous theory was proposed by Ludwig Bieberbach, a German mathematician, during the early 20th century.
Although simple as it may have seemed, the conjecture baffled other mathematicians of the time and it remained unsolved for 68 years. Eventually in 1984, a French-American mathematician, Louis de Branges, managed to solve the conjecture, which is now known as the De Branges Theorem.
Professor Masahiro spoke about the developments in the Univalent Function Theory that mathematicians contributed during their efforts in trying to resolve the Bieberbach conjecture.
During his lecture, he also introduced three of the seven conjectures that were linked to the Bieberbach conjecture.
Walter Roth, head of UBD's Mathematics Department said that since Brunei was a relatively isolated place, visits made by lecturers from universities abroad were beneficial to the students and academics.
"It keeps the students up-to-date with world issues," he commented.
The purpose of the visit was also to enhance cooperation between the two universities.
It was hoped that through the exchange of ideas, the two institutions could work together for the benefit of their students.
The Kagawa University professor had given a lecture on the history of traditional Japanese mathematics last October, where the participants of the event were also taught the art of origami-making.
Yesterday's lecture was part of a series of public lectures held at UBD. The topics of these talks were usually aimed to be more accessible to a broader audience.
The Brunei Times
Professor Masahiro from the Institute of Research Promotion of Kagawa University in Japan was on his fourth visit to UBD to address participants on the history and theory behind the Bieberbach conjecture.
The conjecture pertained to the area of complex analysis, a branch of mathematics. The famous theory was proposed by Ludwig Bieberbach, a German mathematician, during the early 20th century.
Although simple as it may have seemed, the conjecture baffled other mathematicians of the time and it remained unsolved for 68 years. Eventually in 1984, a French-American mathematician, Louis de Branges, managed to solve the conjecture, which is now known as the De Branges Theorem.
Professor Masahiro spoke about the developments in the Univalent Function Theory that mathematicians contributed during their efforts in trying to resolve the Bieberbach conjecture.
During his lecture, he also introduced three of the seven conjectures that were linked to the Bieberbach conjecture.
Walter Roth, head of UBD's Mathematics Department said that since Brunei was a relatively isolated place, visits made by lecturers from universities abroad were beneficial to the students and academics.
"It keeps the students up-to-date with world issues," he commented.
The purpose of the visit was also to enhance cooperation between the two universities.
It was hoped that through the exchange of ideas, the two institutions could work together for the benefit of their students.
The Kagawa University professor had given a lecture on the history of traditional Japanese mathematics last October, where the participants of the event were also taught the art of origami-making.
Yesterday's lecture was part of a series of public lectures held at UBD. The topics of these talks were usually aimed to be more accessible to a broader audience.
The Brunei Times