What is the Nobel Peace Prize given for? Why don't they give the Nobel Prize in mathematics?

The Nobel Prize is the most prestigious scientific award in the world. Scientists from different fields dream of obtaining it. Know about latest achievements of humanity awarded with this prize is worth everyone educated person. How did it appear and in what areas of science can it be obtained?

What it is?

The annual award is named after the Swedish engineer, industrialist and inventor. Alfred Bernhard Nobel was its founder. In addition, he owns a fund from which money is allocated for the implementation. The history of the Nobel Prize begins in the twentieth century. Since 1901, a special commission has determined the winners in categories such as physics, medicine and physiology, chemistry, literature and peace protection. In 1969, it was added to the list new science. Since then, the commission has also recognized the best specialist in the field of economics. Perhaps new categories will appear in the future, but this moment There is no discussion of such an event.

How did the award come about?

The history of the Nobel Prize is very interesting. It is connected with a very dark incident in the life of its founder. As you know, Alfred Nobel was When his brother Ludwig died in 1889, a journalist from one of the newspapers confused and indicated Alfred in his obituary. The text called him a merchant of death. Alfred Nobel was horrified at the prospect of remaining in the memory of mankind in such a capacity. He began to think about what he could leave behind, and composed a special will. With his help, he hoped to rectify the dynamite situation.

Alfred Nobel's will

The significant text was invented and signed in 1895 in Paris. According to the will, the executors must exchange all property remaining after it for securities, on the basis of which the fund will be created. Interest from the resulting capital will go to bonuses for scientists who brought humanity maximum benefit. They must be divided into five parts: one for the one who discovered or invented something new in the field of physics, the other for the most talented chemist, the third is intended the best doctor, the fourth - for the creator of the main literary work of the year, dedicated to human ideals, and the fifth - for the one who can help establish peace on the planet, fighting for the reduction of armies, the destruction of slavery and the friendship of peoples. According to the will, Nobel Prize laureates in the first two categories are determined by the Swedish Sciences. For medicine, the choice is made by the Royal Karolinska Institute, the literary one is chosen by the Swedish Academy, and the latter is chosen by a committee of five people. They are elected by the Norwegian Storting.

Award sizes

Since the bonus is determined as a percentage of the capital invested by Nobil, its size varies. Initially, it was provided in crowns, the first amount was 150 thousand. Now the size of the Nobel Prize has increased significantly and is awarded in US dollars. IN last years it is about a million. As soon as the money in the fund runs out, the bonus will disappear. The Nobel prize initially amounted to almost 32 million Swedish kronor, so, taking into account successful investments, it has only increased over the years. However, in Lately interest does not allow achieving a positive budget - the costs of the prize, the ceremony and the maintenance of the administration are too high. Several years ago, it was decided to reduce the size of the Nobel Prize in order to ensure the stability of the fund in the future. The administration is doing everything possible to maintain it as long as possible.

Family scandal

If history had gone differently, this prize might never have been born. The Nobel prize turned out to be so large that relatives could not come to terms with its loss. After the death of the inventor, one of the other began legal proceedings in which attempts were made to challenge the will. Nobel owned a mansion in Nice and a house in Paris, laboratories in Russia, Finland, Italy, Germany and England, many workshops and factories. All the heirs wanted to divide it among themselves. However, the Storting decided to recognize the will. The deceased's attorneys sold his property, and the timing and amount of the Nobel Prize were approved. The relatives received the sum of two million.

Foundation establishment

The Nobel Prize, whose history began with a scandal, was first awarded only when the Royal Council met on June 29, 1900, at which all the details were considered and the official fund was approved. Part of the money was used to purchase the building in which it is located. The first award ceremony was held in December 1901. The size of the Nobel Prize of one hundred and fifty thousand was the first and most modest. In 1968, the Swedish Bank proposed to nominate specialists in the field of economics. for this area are selected by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It was first awarded in 1969.

Rules for the ceremony

The will indicated only the size of the Nobel Prize and the sciences for which scientists should be recognized for their achievements. The rules of conduct and selection had to be drawn up by the fund administration. They were developed at the beginning of the twentieth century and have remained virtually unchanged since then. According to the rules, the prize can be awarded to several people, but there cannot be more than three. If the nominee died at the time of the December ceremony but was alive when nominations were announced in October, he will receive the amount posthumously. The Nobel Foundation does not award prizes, entrusting this to special committees for each area. Their members can seek help from scientists from different scientific fields. The prize in the field of literature is given by the best specialists in linguistics. The laureate in the peace category is chosen with the consultation of scientists in the field of philosophy, law, political science, history, and is invited for discussion. Sometimes a specialist can personally propose a candidate. This right belongs to the laureates of previous years and members of the Swedish Academies of Sciences. All nominations are approved by February 1 of the year in which the award will be held. Until September, each proposal is evaluated and discussed. Thousands of specialists may be involved in the process. When preparations are completed, the committees send approved nominations to the official authorities where the Nobel Prize scientists work who will accept final decision. In the field of physics, chemistry and economic sciences, the main ones are groups of representatives of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, each of which has twenty-five people. Fifty participants from the Karolinska Institutet practice medicine. Literature - eighteen scientists from the Swedish Academy. The Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. In October, the last statement is made, which is announced at a press conference in Stockholm to the whole world, accompanied by comments on the reasons for each decision. By December 10, the laureates and their families are invited to a ceremony.

Alfred Nobel bequeathed 94% of his fortune to organize prizes in five areas of knowledge that were interesting to him. Read more about what the prize is awarded for, what Alfred Nobel is generally known for, and why there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics.

What is Alfred Nobel famous for?

Many people know Alfred Nobel only as the person after whom the prize is named, which is awarded annually in several areas. This one was born a famous person in the first half of the nineteenth century, and died four years before its end. Alfred Nobel owns 355 different patents, his most famous invention being dynamite. This Swedish chemist, inventor, engineer and entrepreneur was also involved in charity work.

Alfred Nobel lived part of his life in Russia; from his youth he spoke four languages ​​fluently: English, German, French and Russian. After seven years of living in St. Petersburg, Alfred's father sent him to study in the United States, Russian chemist Nikolai Zinin advised him to do so. Along the way, the young man visited several European countries, and when he arrived in the United States, he worked for the inventor John Ericsson, who designed the battleship Monitor, the Noverti locomotive and became the owner of several other patents. Nobel filed his first American patent for a gas meter in 1857, but the first patent he received was for determining methods for producing gunpowder (1863).

Upon returning to Russia, Alfred Nobel took over the affairs of the family company, which carried out orders for the Russian army. The Crimean War contributed to the company's prosperity, but after it the factories were unable to return to normal production, and the family declared itself bankrupt. Nobel's parents returned to Sweden, and he devoted himself to studying explosives. In 1863 he invented the detonator, in 1867 - dynamite. In total, he patented 355 inventions.

History of the establishment of the Nobel Prize

In 1888, when Nobel's brother died, newspapers mistakenly announced the death of Albert himself, and not his brother. When he read his own obituary, “The Merchant of Death is Dead,” in a French newspaper, he began to think seriously about how he would be remembered by humanity. After this, he decided to change his will.

Nobel's will stipulated that all movable and immovable property of the drafter should be converted into monetary units, which should be placed in a safe financial institution. All income must belong to a specially created fund, which will distribute it in the form of cash bonuses to those who last year brought greatest benefit human society. His special wish was that the nationality of the candidate should not be taken into account when awarding prizes.

At first the paper was received with skepticism. Relatives of Alfred Nobel called themselves offended and demanded that the document be officially declared illegal. The Nobel Foundation and the presentation of the prizes were organized by the executors of his will - secretary R. Sulman and lawyer R. Liljequist. Later, separate institutions were identified that began awarding individual prizes. When the Swedish-Norwegian union was dissolved, the Norwegian Committee became responsible for awarding the Peace Prize, and the Swedish organization for the rest.

Rules for awarding the prize to them. A. Nobel

The Statute of the Nobel Foundation determines the rules for awarding the prize. Only individuals and not organizations can be nominated (except for the Peace Prize, which can be awarded to both individuals and official organizations). One or two discoveries in the same field may be awarded in one year, but the number of laureates should not exceed three. The rule was officially added in 1968, but in fact has always been observed.

What is the Nobel Prize given for? Behind outstanding discoveries in five areas: physics, chemistry, medicine and physiology, literature, promoting peace in the world.

Between several candidates monetary reward divided in this way: first in equal parts between works, then according to the same principle between their authors. For example, if two discoveries are awarded, the allocated money is first divided by two. The first work has two authors - half is divided equally again, and the second - one - half is awarded to him.

Also, the award should not be awarded posthumously. But if the laureate was alive when the Nobel Prize was awarded, but passed away before the ceremony, then the prize remains with him. This rule came into effect in 1974. Until this moment, the Nobel Prize had been awarded posthumously twice: to Dag Hammarskjöld (by the way, he was the first to refuse the prize during his lifetime, citing the fact that he held a position on the Nobel Committee, and the fact that he was little known outside Sweden) and Erik Karlfeldt, the 1961 Peace Prize laureate of the year. According to the approved rule, the prize was retained by William Vickrey. The only time the Nobel Committee deviated from the rule was to award Ralph Stayman posthumously, since the committee believed him to be alive at the time of nomination.

If members of the Nobel Committee have not found worthy candidates this year, the prize may not be awarded. In this case cash are saved until next year.

Areas in which prizes are awarded

Alfred Nobel indicated in his will that the interest on the deposit must be divided into 5 equal parts, which are intended:

• to the one who does the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics;
• to someone who makes an improvement or important discovery in the field of chemistry;
• to someone who makes a discovery in the field of physiology or medicine;
• to the one who will create the most outstanding literary work;
• to the one who will make the most important contribution to the unity of nations, the reduction of the size of armies, the abolition of slavery, the promotion of peace conferences.

This is how Alfred Nobel determined what to give the Nobel Prize for.

But Nobel refused the prize to famous mathematicians. He himself could not answer the question of why there was no Nobel Prize in mathematics, since his will (as it should) was made public after his departure to another world. Be that as it may, the inventor and entrepreneur provided for awards in only five areas.

People have asked before about why there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics, but the committee is not going to expand the list of prizes, for which it has been criticized more than once. Its representatives respond that since only five areas were allocated in the will of the founder of the award, it means that awards will be given in five areas. No more, no less.

Russian Nobel Prize laureates

The list of Russian laureates includes persons who, at the time of presentation of the prize, had citizenship of Russia, the USSR, Russian Empire, regardless of their actual nationality at that time. The first Nobel Prize laureate from Russia was I. Pavlov for his discoveries in physiology digestive system. Also Nobel Prize laureates were I. Mechnikov (for his work on immunity), I. Bunin (Nobel Prize in Literature), N. Semenov (chemistry), B. Pasternak (literature), P. Cherenkov, I. Tamm and I. Frank (physics), L. Landau (physics), N. Basov, A. Prokhorov (physics), M. Sholokhov (literature), A. Solzhenitsyn (literature), A. Sakharov (peace prize) and others.

Why there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics

But still the Nobel Prize in mathematics is not awarded. Why is there no Nobel Prize in mathematics? Alfred Nobel noted in his will that he chose all the disciplines after a balanced and deliberate analysis. But the train of thought of the inventor and entrepreneur remained unknown.

The most likely version of why mathematicians are not awarded the Nobel Prize is the following fact: Nobel insisted that inventions should provide real benefits to all humanity, and mathematics is still an exclusively theoretical science. In the end, the majority of the population does not care at all whether Fermat’s theorem has been proven or not. But if the queen of sciences is applied to physics or chemistry, outstanding scientists are awarded precisely in these disciplines.

Versions related to privacy

There is also a version that Alfred Nobel’s wife allegedly cheated on him with a mathematician. It was for this that the scientist became angry with the queen of sciences and did not add her to the will. In fact, Nobel was not married at all, and this is just a memorable explanation. At the age of forty-three, he placed an advertisement in the newspaper, which said that he was looking for a housewife, translator and secretary all rolled into one. Bertha Kinski responded to the ad. But soon she left for Austria and got married, and her relationship with Alfred remained exclusively friendly.

By the way, it was Bertha Kinski who advised Nobel to include the Peace Prize in his will. The Nobel Foundation later awarded the prize to her.

Another version is Alfred Nobel’s dislike for the mathematician Mittag-Leffler. Then he was one of the most likely contenders for the first prize. The reasons for the hostility are not exactly known. Some sources claim that Mittag-Leffler tried to court Nobel's fiancée, others that he annoyingly demanded donations for Stockholm University. It can be assumed that this was also the reason for the exclusion of the queen of sciences from their list.

"Ghosts" of the Nobel Prize in Mathematics

Although there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics, there are several awards that take its place. Equivalents are the Fields and Abel Prizes, as well as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economics.

Vladimir Dergachev

The Nobel Prizes are awarded by four Swedish Nobel Committees, which are special bodies of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Karolinska Institute (medical university) and the Swedish Academy (of writers). The Nobel Prize in Economics or more precisely the "Sveriges Riksbank Prize for Economics" economic sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel" is awarded by the Bank of Sweden. In Stockholm, Nobel Prizes are awarded in physics, chemistry, physiology and medicine, literature, and economics.

The Fifth Nobel Peace Prize Committee is located in the Norwegian Parliament (Storting) and is a division of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. The size of the award fluctuates depending on the income of the Nobel Foundation and was reduced to $1.1 million in 2012.
The Swedish Academy is located in the Old Town in the building of the former Stockholm stock exchange. Here decisions are made on awarding Nobel Prizes in literature. This miniature Academy has only 18 life members. The building houses a museum dedicated to the inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel, who founded the most prestigious award in the world. Nobel spent his childhood in Russia and knew five languages.

A fragment of the main entrance to the Stockholm Concert Hall, where the Nobel Prize award ceremony is taking place. Sculptural composition of Carl Milles "Orpheus".


Photo by Vladimir Dergachev

In this hall, in 2000, the last laureate from Russia, physicist academician Zhores Alferov, now a deputy, received the Nobel Prize State Duma by the list Communist Party Russian Federation.


Photo: EPA

Hotel where Nobel laureates stay


Photo by Anton Dergachev

After the Nobel Prize ceremony, a banquet is held in the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall, which is attended by The Royal Family and a thousand guests. If you were not invited to the banquet, do not be upset. You can order the “Nobel menu” at the town hall restaurant at a time convenient for you, for only about 200 euros.
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The Nobel Peace Prizes are awarded and presented in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The first Nobel Peace Prize in the twenty-first century was awarded to the accompaniment of American missiles and bombs exploding on Afghan soil, the United Nations and its Secretary General. If in the West this event was regarded as a triumph of democracy, then in the Muslim world the assessments were diametrically opposite. Even in the Christian East (Moscow) the words were heard: “Peace Prize, posthumously.” An organization created to maintain international security, in recent years has withdrawn from performing its main functions. The UN often appears on the Eurasian continent as an extra in American geopolitics.
The award ceremony takes place in the Oslo City Hall. IN common days Anyone can enter the town hall. It is only in the “city halls” of corrupt countries that you have to protect power from the people.
Here before the breakup Soviet Union in 1990, the “petrel of universal human values” Mikhail Gorbachev received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Photo by Vladimir Dergachev

The Nobel Prizes are awarded in the West and primarily reflect the preferences of Western Christian civilization. Therefore, the frequent indignation of the “brothers of the Slavs” that the Nobel Peace Prizes are awarded to the wrong people is groundless. In the Soviet Union there was an International Lenin Prize. In democratic Russia there are hardly enough funds and resources to support home-grown oligarchs and show business, so there is no similar international peace prize. Perhaps an alternative to the Nobel Prize in the near future will be the Chinese Confucius Peace Prize. The award was established in 2010 on the initiative of a Chinese businessman, and is awarded to peace fighters according to the East. In 2011, the prize was awarded to Vladimir Putin. Thus, both the West and the East noted the shyness Russian leaders(Gorbachev and Putin) between West and East.

– international annual awards for outstanding Scientific research, revolutionary inventions or major contribution in culture or development of society., named after the founder (Alfred Bernhard Nobel) , Swedish chemical engineer, inventor and industrialist.

The Nobel Prize is awarded annually for achievements in the following areas of human activity:

• Physics - since 1901, Sweden;
• Chemistry - since 1901, Sweden;
• Medicine and physiology - since 1901, Sweden;
• Literature - since 1901, Sweden;
• Defense of peace - since 1901, Norway.
• Economy - since 1969, Sweden;

https://news.mail.ru/society/2945723/

Prizes are awarded in accordance with Nobel's will:

• Organizers: the Royal Academy of Sciences in Stockholm (in physics, chemistry, economics), the Royal Medical-Surgical Institute in Stockholm (in physiology or medicine) and the Swedish Academy in Stockholm (in literature); In Norway, the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Parliament awards the Nobel Prize for activities to promote peace.
• Nobel Prizes are awarded to candidates regardless of their race, nationality, gender or religion for latest achievements and for more early works, if their meaning became apparent later.
• All Nobel Prizes, except the Peace Prize, can only be awarded to individuals and only once. As an exception, Nobel Prizes were awarded twice to M. Sklodowska-Curie (in 1903 and 1911), L. Pauling (1954 and 1962) and J. Bardeen (1956 and 1972). As a rule, Nobel Prizes are not awarded posthumously.
• The right to nominate candidates for the prize is enjoyed only by private individuals, the circle of whom is determined by the regulations on each type of Nobel Prize. Proposals for candidacies are sent by February 1 to the relevant six committees.
• Discussion of candidates and voting take place in strict secrecy; disagreements regarding candidates are not recorded in the minutes of meetings. Only the decision and a brief reasoning are published in the press (no reasoning is given for the World Prizes). Decisions on awarding prizes are not subject to appeal or cancellation.
• The Nobel Prize ceremonies are held in Stockholm and Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death.
• By position Nobel laureate must, within six months of receiving the prize, give a Nobel Memorial Lecture (a popular lecture on the topic of his work), usually in Stockholm or Oslo. The lecture is then published by the Nobel Foundation in a special volume.

Nobel Prize Laureates

Nobel Prize laureates will be determined by areas of achievement:

• Peace Prize
• Literature Prize
• Physics Prize
• Prize in Physiology and Medicine
• Chemistry Prize
• Prize in Economics

Nobel Prize in Literature

The Nobel Prize in Literature is an annual award given by the Nobel Foundation for achievements in the field of literature. The Literature Prize has been awarded since 1901. The first Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the French poet and essayist René François Armand Prudhomme "for outstanding literary virtues, especially for high idealism, artistic excellence, and for the extraordinary combination of soul and talent, as evidenced by his books."

From 1901 to the present, 107 prizes have been awarded. During these years the prize was not awarded or awarded only 7 times: in 1914, 1918, 1935 and in the period from 1940 to 1943.

Nobel Prize physics

The Nobel Prize in Physics is an annual prize awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Established by Alfred Nobel in 1895. The first Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded in 1901 to the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen “in recognition of his extraordinary services to science through the discovery of the remarkable rays subsequently named in his honor.”
Since 1901, 201 Nobel Prizes in physics have been awarded. 200 people became laureates of the prize in physics.
The Physics Prize was not awarded only six times - in 1916, 1931, 1934, 1940, 1941 and 1942.

The Nobel Prize was founded in what year?

After his death, Alfred Nobel bequeathed

« ...The income from investments should belong to a fund, which will distribute them annually in the form of bonuses to those who, during the previous year, have brought the greatest benefit to humanity... The specified percentages must be divided into five equal parts, which are intended: one part - to the one who makes the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics; the other - to the one who makes the most important discovery or improvement in the field of chemistry; the third - to the one who makes the most important discovery in the field of physiology or medicine; the fourth - to the one who creates the most outstanding literary work of an idealistic direction; fifth, to the one who has made the most significant contribution to the unity of nations, the abolition of slavery, or the reduction of existing armies and the promotion of peace congresses... It is my special wish that the nationality of the candidates shall not be taken into account in the award of prizes...»

On April 26, 1897, A. Nobel's will was approved by the Storting of Norway. The executors of Nobel's will, secretary Ragnar Sulman and lawyer Rudolf Liljequist, organized the Nobel Foundation to take care of the execution of his will and organize the presentation of the prize.

Albert Einstein Nobel Prize 1921

He was nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in Physics, but members of the Nobel Committee for a long time they did not dare to award a prize to the author of such a revolutionary theory as the theory of relativity.

Committee member A. Gullstrand, laureate of the 1911 Prize in Physiology and Medicine, believed that the theory of relativity would not stand the test of time.

But in 1922, the Nobel Prize for 1921 was awarded to Einstein for the theory of the photoelectric effect, that is, for the most indisputable and experimentally tested work; however, the text of the decision contained a neutral addition: “and for other work in the field of theoretical physics.”

Chemist, engineer and inventor Alfred Nobel made his fortune primarily through the invention of dynamite and other explosives. At one time, Nobel became one of the richest on the planet.

In total, Nobel owned 355 inventions.

At the same time, the fame that the scientist enjoyed cannot be called good. His brother Ludwig died in 1888. However, by mistake, journalists wrote in newspapers about Alfred Nobel himself. Thus one day he read his own obituary in the press, entitled “The Merchant of Death is Dead.” This incident made the inventor think about what kind of memory will remain of him in future generations. And Alfred Nobel changed his will.

Alfred Nobel's new will greatly offended the inventor's relatives, who were left with nothing in the end.

The millionaire's new will was announced in 1897.

According to this paper, all of Nobel's movable and immovable property was to be converted into capital, which, in turn, should be placed in a reliable bank. The income from this capital should be divided annually into five equal parts and awarded in the form of scientists who have made the most significant discoveries in the field of physics, chemistry, and medicine; writers who created literary works; and also to those who have done the most significant "in the unity of nations, the abolition of slavery, or the reduction of armies and the promotion of peace congresses" (Peace Prize).

First laureates

Traditionally, the first prize is awarded in the field of medicine and physiology. So the very first Nobel winner in 1901 was the German bacteriologist Emil Adolf von Behring, who was developing a vaccine against diphtheria.

The laureate in physics receives the prize next. Wilhelm Roentgen was the first to receive this award for the rays named after him.

The first Nobel Prize winner in chemistry was Jacob van't Hoff, who studied the thermodynamics of various solutions.

The first writer to receive this high award was René Sully-Prudeme.

The Peace Prize is awarded to the latter. In 1901 it was divided between Jean Henry Dunant and Frédéric Passy. Swiss humanist Dunant - founder International Committee Red Cross (ICRC). Frenchman Frederic Passy is a leader of the peace movement in Europe.

The history of the Nobel Prize began in 1889, when the brother of the famous inventor of dynamite Alfred Nobel, Ludwig, died. Then the journalists mixed up the information and published an obituary for Alfred's death, calling him a merchant of death. It was toga that the inventor decided to leave behind a softer legacy that would bring joy to those who truly deserved it.

Instructions

After the announcement of Nobel's will, an outburst erupted - the relatives were against the fact that a lot of money (in those days) went to the foundation, and did not go to them. But despite the heated condemnation of the inventor’s relatives, the foundation was still founded in 1900.

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901 in Stockholm. The laureates were scientists and researchers from various fields: physics, medicine, literature. The very first person to receive such a valuable award was Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen for the discovery new form energy and rays that received his name. Interestingly, Roentgen was not present at the award ceremony. He learned that he had become a laureate while in Munich. Moreover, laureates usually receive the prize second, but as a sign of deep respect and recognition of the importance of the discovery made by Rentegn, he was given the prize first.

The next nominee for the same award was the chemist Jacob van't Hoff for his research in the field of chemical dynamics. He proved that Avogadro's law is valid and valid for dilute solutions. In addition, Van't Hoff experimentally proved that osmotic pressure in weak solutions obeys gas laws thermodynamics. In medicine, Emil Adolf von Behring received recognition and honor for his discovery of blood serum. This study, according to professional community, became an important step in the treatment of diphtheria. This helped save a lot human lives, which before that were simply doomed.