Drei mathematische Freunde über Poincaré

Abstract

In this paper Poincaré is presented according to his characterisation by the “three mathematical friends”—Hilbert, Hurwitz, Minkowski—in their correspondence. This provides insights into the activities and interactions of the three friends along with information on the contexts in which the mathematical community functioned. This provides an authentic new view of Poincaré and his work. Political, institutional and individual differences between the four scholars and their situations are made clear.