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Using the Mathematics Genealogy Project[1], I was able to produce a "family tree" of my own: http://i.imgur.com/HvCI97I.png http://i.imgur.com/HvCI97I.png Gra

by thearn4 10y ago

Using the Mathematics Genealogy Project[1], I was able to produce a "family tree" of my own: http://i.imgur.com/HvCI97I.png http://i.imgur.com/HvCI97I.png Graphs produced from many of my peers end up looking very similar, true to the subject of the article. It seems that Gauss in particular trained a great many students. [1] https://genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/ https://genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/

Ologn 10y ago
I did one too of people I'm interested in http://i.imgur.com/JuHbnk9.png http://i.imgur.com/JuHbnk9.png ( http://imgur.com/a/mhFn3 http://imgur.com/a/mhFn3 ) Minsky, Abelson, McCarthy, Sussman, Steele, Dijkstra, Papert, Winograd, Erdos, Cantor, Wirth, Aho, Ritchie, Kleene, Turing etc. Most are descended from Gauss and Euler, some from both.
ivan_ah 10y ago
What software did you use for the graph? Looks nice.
- Kaizyn 10y ago
  http://graphviz.org http://graphviz.org
- thearn4 10y ago
  I have a Python script that generates it. I have it run every few days via cronjob, and puts a diff of the old and new graph dotfile in my dropbox if something new is added to it. https://github.com/thearn/math-genealogy https://github.com/thearn/math-genealogy (note: not the most idiomatic python code, I scrambled to do it quick before a math conference)
  - ivan_ah 10y ago
    Thx. It seems the "nice design" is just removing the bubbles + making edges bold: digraph genealogy { graph [charset="utf-8"]; node [shape=plaintext]; edge [style=bold]; ... I definitely like it better than the default bubbles digraph.
wyager 10y ago
That's super cool. Only a few generations back and you start running into some huge names like Gauss, Bessel, Schwarz.
- vanderZwan 10y ago
  I wonder if that's unavoidable; I suspect shoulders of giants are kinda hard to avoid. Maybe we could do some more fun stuff with this, like trying to filter out the people related to Mathematics' superstars and see who remains. Could be an indication of which maths has developed outside of the "mainstream".
YeGoblynQueenne 10y ago
Wow- you have Plethon Gemistos in your (academic) ancestry! I am amazed that lineage is tracked since that time. I note the first few branches of the tree have no institution information... probably because they date from before the fall of Constantinople! O.o I expect theses and advising a thesis must have been a very different affair at the time, than what they are now.
- thearn4 10y ago
  > I expect theses and advising a thesis must have been a very different affair at the time, than what they are now. For sure, I assume that before the mathematical formalism of the 19th century, these relationships were really more of a less formal mentor/mentee. Though I do feel that my advisor was definitely a great and very personable mentor in addition to the more formal (somewhat administrative role) of a modern PhD advisor.
kensai 10y ago
It is insane you have Plethon Gemistos in your academic tree. :) Not to take anything away from you, but I am wondering if the information 3-4+ hundred years back is accurate. Seems to cool to be true!

by thearn4 10y ago

Ologn 10y ago

I did one too of people I'm interested in http://i.imgur.com/JuHbnk9.png http://i.imgur.com/JuHbnk9.png ( http://imgur.com/a/mhFn3 http://imgur.com/a/mhFn3 ) Minsky, Abelson, McCarthy, Sussman, Steele, Dijkstra, Papert, Winograd, Erdos, Cantor, Wirth, Aho, Ritchie, Kleene, Turing etc. Most are descended from Gauss and Euler, some from both.

ivan_ah 10y ago

What software did you use for the graph? Looks nice.

Kaizyn 10y ago
http://graphviz.org http://graphviz.org
thearn4 10y ago
I have a Python script that generates it. I have it run every few days via cronjob, and puts a diff of the old and new graph dotfile in my dropbox if something new is added to it. https://github.com/thearn/math-genealogy https://github.com/thearn/math-genealogy (note: not the most idiomatic python code, I scrambled to do it quick before a math conference)
- ivan_ah 10y ago
  Thx. It seems the "nice design" is just removing the bubbles + making edges bold: digraph genealogy { graph [charset="utf-8"]; node [shape=plaintext]; edge [style=bold]; ... I definitely like it better than the default bubbles digraph.

wyager 10y ago

That's super cool. Only a few generations back and you start running into some huge names like Gauss, Bessel, Schwarz.

vanderZwan 10y ago
I wonder if that's unavoidable; I suspect shoulders of giants are kinda hard to avoid. Maybe we could do some more fun stuff with this, like trying to filter out the people related to Mathematics' superstars and see who remains. Could be an indication of which maths has developed outside of the "mainstream".

YeGoblynQueenne 10y ago

Wow- you have Plethon Gemistos in your (academic) ancestry! I am amazed that lineage is tracked since that time. I note the first few branches of the tree have no institution information... probably because they date from before the fall of Constantinople! O.o I expect theses and advising a thesis must have been a very different affair at the time, than what they are now.

thearn4 10y ago
> I expect theses and advising a thesis must have been a very different affair at the time, than what they are now. For sure, I assume that before the mathematical formalism of the 19th century, these relationships were really more of a less formal mentor/mentee. Though I do feel that my advisor was definitely a great and very personable mentor in addition to the more formal (somewhat administrative role) of a modern PhD advisor.

kensai 10y ago

It is insane you have Plethon Gemistos in your academic tree. :) Not to take anything away from you, but I am wondering if the information 3-4+ hundred years back is accurate. Seems to cool to be true!