Math in Sight

Our first Saturday in Budapest was filled with exploration of new places and sights (not to mention a glimpse of the sun)! Our class schedule was altered today so that we could do some sightseeing in the afternoon. We normally have language class in the morning, but it was replaced with number theory so that we would be done with class by lunch time. After class, the entire group headed to Heroes' Square to see Vajdahunyad Castle and the Anonymous Statue. The Castle itself has incredible architecture like most buildings in Budapest. However, the beauty of the castle is contrasted by the statue of a mysterious hooded figure: Anonymous. The sculpture dates back one hundred years and is supposed to represent a chronicler of King Bela in the 12th or 13th century. Unfortunately, several kings named Bela reigned during that time, so the true identity of the chronicler is unknown. If you can tell from the picture, the end of Anonymous' pen is shiny. It has been rubbed clean because touching the end of Anonymous' pen is supposed to give luck to students before their exams. It seems we may want to return to the statue right before our midterm next week...

The statue of Anonymous has an additional historical significance to us as math students because Paul Erdos, famous Hungarian mathematician, used to meet there to discuss advanced problems with fellow mathematicians.

After Heroes' Square, the group stopped for a quick lunch before heading up to Castle Hill on the Buda side of the Danube. It started to rain on our way there, but no precipitation could stop us from visiting the Royal Palace (Buda Castle), National Gallery, Fisherman's Bastion, and St. Matthias Church. The view from the Fisherman's Bastion on the top of the hill is outstanding. It looks out over the Danube and all of its bridges, Parliament, and the Basilica. St. Matthias Church, nearby, is currently undergoing some restoration, but we were still able to see most of its Gothic architecture and intricate tiled roof. On the other end of the hill is the colossal Royal Palace. It houses the National Gallery featuring art from the Medieval and Renaissance periods through the 20th century. The trip to Castle Hill was nothing short of a success!

View from the top of Castle Hill

Fishermen's Bastion

St. Matthias Church

Buda Castle

At the foot of the hill is a mathematical landmark: the Zero Kilometer Stone. This sculpture serves as the beginning point from which all Hungarian highways are measured. It may not be a tribute to mathematics more than a useful tool for organizing transportation, but perhaps it prompts the question from some friends and family members of why exactly we are studying mathematics here in Budapest?

Turning to the "Hungarian Mathematicians" category on Wikipedia may yield some answers. Here lie 90 Wikipedia pages with information on Hungarian Mathematicians. Many of these names do contain the daunting vowels and consonant combinations, but once getting past these obstacles, one will see the great feats of the people. Yesterday, they had discussed Paul Erdös. As famous as he is, Erdös is only one of the many successful Hungarian mathematicians. Other members of the list include Alfréd Rényi and Miklos Laczkovich. We visited the Rényi Institute yesterday for our talk. Any ideas who the institute is named after? Yes, it is Alfréd Rényi. When searching on mathworld.com, “Rényi” appears in the name of three different titles. This is a quite impressive number, seeing as no titles yet contain “Mckenzie” or “West.” Miklos Laczkovich is in the same boat as I, he has no MathWorld titles named after himself. However, several theorems and definitions reference his name for being an important part of their solutions or progress. Laczkovich is a professor at the University College London and is a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He is one of the most, if not the most, famous Hungarian mathematicians alive today, and he will be speaking to our class later this month. Aren’t we lucky? Budapest is home to a multitude of famous mathematicians, and studying in this environment allows us to encounter some of these people. We have four to five remaining guest lecturers giving a mathematical talk this month, and are very lucky to experience such. (Erdos is on the left, Renyi on the right)