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MATHEMATICIAN

René Thom

1923 - 2002

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René Frédéric Thom (French: [ʁəne tɔm]; 2 September 1923 – 25 October 2002) was a French mathematician, who received the Fields Medal in 1958. He made his reputation as a topologist, moving on to aspects of what would be called singularity theory; he became world-famous among the wider academic community and the educated general public for one aspect of this latter interest, his work as founder of catastrophe theory (later developed by Christopher Zeeman). Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of René Thom has received more than 193,831 page views. His biography is available in 39 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 38 in 2019). René Thom is the 172nd most popular mathematician (up from 176th in 2019), the 1,233rd most popular biography from France (up from 1,259th in 2019) and the 35th most popular French Mathematician.

René Thom is most famous for his work in catastrophe theory. He created a mathematical model to describe the evolution of complex systems.

Memorability Metrics

  • 190k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 60.49

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 39

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 8.60

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.55

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

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Among MATHEMATICIANS

Among mathematicians, René Thom ranks 172 out of 823Before him are Wacław Sierpiński, Zu Chongzhi, Colin Maclaurin, Conon of Samos, André Weil, and Wang Chong. After him are Pierre Bouguer, Vito Volterra, George Pólya, Mikhail Ostrogradsky, Ernst Kummer, and Ahmes.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1923, René Thom ranks 48Before him are Jorge Semprún, Edgar F. Codd, Stephanie Kwolek, Merton Miller, Erland Josephson, and Horst Tappert. After him are Philip Warren Anderson, Lola Flores, Linda Christian, Dev Anand, Aristides Pereira, and Queen Anne of Romania. Among people deceased in 2002, René Thom ranks 39Before him are Ne Win, Zizinho, George Porter, John Gotti, Max Perutz, and Eduardo Chillida. After him are Erwin Chargaff, Xi Zhongxun, Archer Martin, Laurent Schwartz, Pim Fortuyn, and César Milstein.

Others Born in 1923

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In France

Among people born in France, René Thom ranks 1,233 out of 6,011Before him are Adalberon (947), Laurent Blanc (1965), Prince Jean, Duke of Guise (1874), Édouard Mortier, Duke of Trévise (1768), André Weil (1906), and Ernest Gellner (1925). After him are Francis I, Duke of Lorraine (1517), Jaufre Rudel (1125), André Masson (1896), Pierre Bouguer (1698), Vincent of Beauvais (1190), and André Antoine (1858).

Among MATHEMATICIANS In France

Among mathematicians born in France, René Thom ranks 35Before him are Jacques Hadamard (1865), Joseph Liouville (1809), Gabriel Lamé (1795), Étienne Bézout (1730), Jean Gaston Darboux (1842), and André Weil (1906). After him are Pierre Bouguer (1698), Jean-Pierre Serre (1926), Camille Jordan (1838), Étienne-Louis Malus (1775), Antoine Augustin Cournot (1801), and Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre (1749).