Noether, Emmy (1882-1935), a German mathematician, made fundamental contributions to algebra. She is especially remembered for her work on algebraic structures known as rings and ideals. Noether also proved some results in mathematical physics that were of significance to the German-born physicist Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which deals with the laws of gravitation. A key idea of general relativity is that gravitation is an effect of the curvature of space and time (see Relativity ).
Emmy Amalie Noether was born on March 23, 1882, in Erlangen, Germany. Her father, Max Noether, was a mathematician and professor. In 1900, Emmy passed examinations that qualified her to teach English and French in girls’ schools in the state of Bavaria. However, she did not become a language teacher. Instead, she decided to study mathematics at a university. At that time, women were not allowed to enroll officially at German universities. But Noether obtained permission to attend courses at the universities of Erlangen and Göttingen. She received a doctorate in mathematics at Erlangen in 1907. She was not allowed to hold an official academic post, however, so she did her mathematical work independently.
In 1919, at the insistence of two leading German mathematicians, David Hilbert and Felix Klein, the University of Göttingen offered Noether an official position as a lecturer. During her years at Göttingen, she carried out work of fundamental importance to the development of abstract algebra. She also gained a reputation as a teacher. In addition, she helped edit the mathematical journal Mathematische Annalen.
In 1933, the Nazi government of Germany forced the university to dismiss Noether because she was Jewish. She moved to the United States and became a visiting professor of mathematics at Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania. She held that post from 1933 until her death on April 14, 1935. She also taught at the Institute of Advanced Study, at Princeton, New Jersey.
