| Although my
talk should be understandable also for the nonspecialist I think that I have
to try to explain briefly what is the cg-method. The best time for this is
probably at the beginning when you are not yet too tired of my speech. The
famous German mathematician David Hilbert once said. "A mathematical
theory is not to be considered complete until you have made it so clear that
you can explain it to the first man whom you meet on the street." At his time women apparently ere ot
supposed to be encountered on the street. Since the cg-method is
theoretically fully clarified for at least fifty years, I am encouraged to
undertake its popularization. |
|
| Of the
different ways in which it can be presented I shall use the one Stiefel
developed at the IAM. Hestenes derivation which he established independently
is based more on geometrical considerations and will not be given here. Then
I want to mention briefly some of the fields in which this method is applied.
Since this symposium is also meant to honor the brilliant inventors of the method short biographies of Stiefel and Hestenes will follow. Based on my personal memories complemented by what I have found in some documents I shall show and comment next some drawings and pictures of the persons who participated in the birth of the method at the two institutes. |
|
| At the end I
shall wrap up my presentation with a
few general remarks and acknowledgements for the help I received when
preparing it. |