Who do you think was the most influential mathematician to publish during the twentieth century, and why?
Hilbert – Does the year 1900 count as 20th century? His list of unsolved problems set the agenda for the century. Russell – His paradox made clear that the foundations of mathematics were just as insecure as Euclidean geometry had proved to be. Poincare – In the process of creating a qualitative theory of dynamical systems, he invented whole branches of mathematics, notably differential topology. Turing – According to Gregory Chaitin, Turing brought the foundations of mathematics into the 20th century by identifying the key issue of uncomputability. Polya – His books on problem solving were influential in subtle ways in every area of mathematics. Noether – Took the accomplishments of a woman mathematician to the very highest level. Thom – His program of classification is still in the early days of its impact on mathematics and applications. Kolmogorov – Laid the foundations of probability
