Saunders mclane a mathematics autobiography
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Norwich, Connecticut, USA
San Francisco, California, USA
Biography
Saunders Mac Lane came from a Scottish family who fled from Scotland after the Battle of Culloden in His grandfather, William Ward McLane was born in Lewisville, Pennsylvania in , became a Presbyterian Minister but was forced to leave the Church after preaching the theory of evolution. He became a pastor in the Congregational Church and the eldest son from his second marriage, Donald Bradford McLane, was born 19 January in Steubenville. Donald married Winifred Saunders, the eldest daughter of George Aretas Saunders, in Winifred was a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and taught English, Latin and Mathematics at High School before her marriage. After his marriage, Donald became a Congregational Minister in Taftville, Connecticut and his eldest son Leslie Saunders MacLane, the subject of this biography, was born in Norwich, close to Taftville. When he was only one month old his parents decided they did not like the name Leslie and from that time on he was known as Saunders MacLane. The change from MacLane to Mac Lane only came about many years later after his marriage. Saunders had two brothers, Gerald R MacLane, who became a mathematics professor at Rice University and Purdue University, and David Tyler MacLane, born 20 January , in Utica, New York, who became a school teacher and businessman. Mac Lane's early years were spent in several different small towns but he did live in one large city, spending a few years in Boston when aged around seven.Mac Lane's High School education began in Utica, New York but was interrupted in when he was 14 years old for, at that time, his father died. After his father's death, Mac Lane moved to Leominster, Massachusetts, to
Saunders Mac Lane
American mathematician (–)
Saunders Mac Lane (August 4, – April 14, ), born Leslie Saunders MacLane, was an American mathematician who co-founded category theory with Samuel Eilenberg.
Early life and education
Mac Lane was born in Norwich, Connecticut, near where his family lived in Taftville. He was christened "Leslie Saunders MacLane", but "Leslie" fell into disuse because his parents, Donald MacLane and Winifred Saunders, came to dislike it. He began inserting a space into his surname because his first wife found it difficult to type the name without a space. He was the eldest of three brothers; one of his brothers, Gerald MacLane, also became a mathematics professor at Rice University and Purdue University. Another sister died as a baby. His father and grandfather were both ministers; his grandfather had been a Presbyterian, but was kicked out of the church for believing in evolution, and his father was a Congregationalist. His mother, Winifred, studied at Mount Holyoke College and taught English, Latin, and mathematics.
In high school, Mac Lane's favorite subject was chemistry. While in high school, his father died, and he came under his grandfather's care. His half-uncle, a lawyer, was determined to send him to Yale University, where many of his relatives had been educated, and paid his way there beginning in As a freshman, he became disillusioned with chemistry. His mathematics instructor, Lester S. Hill, coached him for a local mathematics competition which he won, setting the direction for his future work. He went on to study mathematics and physics as a double major, taking courses from Jesse Beams, Ernest William Brown, Ernest Lawrence, F. S. C. Northrop, and Øystein Ore, among others. He graduated from Yale with a B.A. in During this period, he published his first scientific paper, in physics and co-authored with Irving Langmuir.
In , at a party of Yale football sup From the Preface. .Saunders Mac Lane's books
1. Homology (), by Saunders Mac Lane.
In presenting this treatment of homological algebra, it is a pleasure to acknowledge the help and encouragement which I have had from all sides. Homological algebra arose from many sources in algebra and topology. Decisive examples came from the study of group extensions and their factor sets, a subject I learned in joint work with Otto Schilling. A further development of homological ideas, with a view to their topological applications, came in my long collaboration with Samuel Eilenberg; to both collaborators, especial thanks. For many years the Air Force Office of Scientific Research supported my research projects on various subjects now summarized here; it is a pleasure to acknowledge their lively understanding of basic science. Both Reinhold Baer and Josef Schmid read and commented on my entire manuscript; their advice has led to many improvements. My wife, Dorothy, has cheerfully typed more versions of more chapters than she would like to count.
Review by: C Terence C Wall.
The Mathematical Gazette49()(),
Homological algebra is a subject which grew up in the decade after the war as part of the process of formalising algebraic topology. It was at once recognised as providing also a powerful tool for pure algebra. The subject came of age with the book by H Cartan and S Eilenberg () which brought several trial theories within a single framework. This book is difficult to read: there is a mass of new ideas, the relative importance of which is not always clear; the writing is rather technical; and the presentation depends on some familiarity with modules over algebras, which is not really essential to the subject. Mac Lane's book is a refreshing contrast. The author is at pains to introduce his concepts slowly, with discussion and examples to illustrate the points at issue. As a result, it is comparatively easy reading. He also has the advantage of ten years' w