Mihailo Petrović and the Mathematical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Mihailo Petrović, the Serbian mathematician and the founder of the Serbian School of Mathematics, was one of the first advocates of the idea to set up a specialized institution for Mathematical Sciences in Serbia at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Although he was inspired by the French School of Mathematics, he was aware that due to a lack of financing and teaching staff, it was not possible to establish such an institution immediately. The first more concrete step towards setting up a separate institute was made in mid-1938, immediately after Petrović retired as a university professor. To commemorate the occasion, his colleagues proposed establishing two independent institutes “Institute for Theoretical Mathematics: Dr. Mihailo Petrović” and “Institute for Applied Mathematics.” Although the proposal was adopted by the University of Belgrade, unfortunately, it was not implemented due to the outbreak of World War II. Nevertheless, it served as the inspiration to set up a specialized institution that continued Petrović's work on the development and dissemination of mathematical knowledge – the Mathematical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences, founded after World War II, in 1946. Sadly, Petrović did not live to see the establishment of this institution, but he left a busting “hive of scientific work.” This paper looks into Petrović's role in establishing the Mathematical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences, as well as the intention of the Institute's founders to continue his mission in post-World War II Yugoslavia. It analyzes the first years of the Institute's work and concludes that the Mathematical Institute embraced Petrović's legacy and contributed to further development of Mathematical Sciences in Serbia and former Yugoslavia.