23/01/2018

Carl Størmer (1874-1957): Mathematician and paparazzo

Norwegian mathematician and physicist Carl Størmer was noted for his work on Number Theory and the study of the motion of charged particles in the magnetosphere and the formation of auroras. But if he had lived in the 21st century he would surely have been involved in some incident by his peculiar hobby: photographing people a hidden camera.

The first (and perhaps only) paparazzo-mathematician in history was born in 1874 in Skien (Norway). He studied mathematics from 1892 to 1897 at Royal Frederick University, currently the University of Oslo. He earned his doctorate in 1900 from Sorbonne University (Paris), where he was a colleague of prominent names such as Picard, Poincaré, Painlevé, Jordan, among others.

Størmer developed a taste for photography while still a student. He used a spy camera under his vest to make portraits of famous people through the streets of the Norwegian capital. He took pictures of the playwrighter Henrik Ibsen and the philologist Ivar Aasen. Close to turning 70-years-old, he hosted an exhibition with those images.

He was a professor at the University of Oslo for 43 years and the first president of the Norwegian Mathematical Society. His influence in the academic circle led him to be affiliated with the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo, a member of the Royal Society and a corresponding member of the French Académie de Sciences.

In addition, he was a Plenary member of the International Congress of Mathematicians on three occasions – 1908 (Rome), 1924 (Toronto) and 1936 (Olso), where he also served as President of the Congress.

He was a guest lecturer at ICM in 1920 (Strasbourg) and 1932 (Zurich). He died at the age of 82 in 1957. He is Norwegian mathematician Erling Størmer’s grandfather.

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