1858-1932

Italian Mathematician

Guiseppe Peano was one of the outstanding mathematicians of the nineteenth century. He produced original and important work in the areas of calculus and set theory, and his work on solving systems of linear equations developed simultaneously with that of Emile Picard (1856-1941) and Hermann Schwarz (1843-1921). He spent the last part of his career, however, working on large projects of minor importance to mathematics.

Peano was born into a farming family in Italy. Recognizing his talents, his uncle, a priest and lawyer, took him to Turin where he attended secondary school. He was admitted to the University of Turin at the age of 18. There, he studied under some of the premier Italian mathematicians of the day.

Although initially planning on pursuing studies in engineering, by his third year, Peano had decided on a career in mathematics. He graduated with a doctorate in...