[math-fun] Shortest successful doctoral thesis in Mathematics?
A question arose the other day as to what is the shortest successful doctoral thesis in Mathematics. I start the bidding with Walter Boas' 15pp thesis of 1930. Guy Haworth
My 1951 Princeton PhD thesis was 23 pages including a 5 page appendix with an auxiliary result. I decided to eliminate the appendix if it make the thesis a record for shortness. Alas for me, there was a 6 page Princeton mathematics PhD thesis, so I included the appendix. I think the 6 page thesis was in algebra.
I think that Barry Mazur's Princeton thesis was 5 pages. -- Victor S. Miller | " ... Meanwhile, those of us who can compute can hardly victor@idaccr.org | be expected to keep writing papers saying 'I can do the CCR, Princeton, NJ | following useless calculation in 2 seconds', and indeed 08540 USA | what editor would publish them?" -- Oliver Atkin
participants (3)
-
Guy Haworth -
John McCarthy -
victor＠idaccr.org