Voting Station

Marcel Grossmann

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Mathematician

The Resume

    (April 9, 1878-September 7, 1936)
    Born in Budapest, Hungary
    Classmate and friend of Albert Einstein
    Professor of Mathematics at the Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich
    Founding member of the Swiss Mathematical Society (1910)

Why he might be annoying:

    His name was gross, man. (Okay, it's a recycled joke, but there aren't a whole lot of negatives to work with here.)
    Einstein wrote, 'As a mathematician, he had a somewhat skeptical stance towards physics.'
    He is remembered more for his friendship with Einstein than any of his own accomplishments.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He shared his lecture notes with Einstein, who frequently missed classes.
    His father helped Einstein get a job at the patent office in Bern,
    He convinced Einstein of the importance of non-Euclidean geometry in developing the general theory of relativity.
    He also introduced Einstein to the then-new field of tensor calculus, which proved to be particularly useful in developing a mathematical framework for relativity.
    Einstein reportedly once pleaded with him, 'You must help me, or I'll go crazy!'
    Einstein dedicated his doctoral thesis to Grossmann.
    He had to retire early from his professorship due to worsening symptoms of multiple sclerosis (1927).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 14.29% Annoying