Nazi Problem Finds Jewish Solution
In 1955, Wilhelm Blaschke, a noted German mathematician, threw up his hands in the face of quandary over which he had long puzzled. He deemed the “three-web problem,” which focused on how to straighten a web’s curved lines, “hopeless.”
More than half a century later, the puzzle has been solved. The twist? Blaschke was a Nazi sympathizer, and the professor who recently co-authored the problem’s solution is a Jew.
Vladislav Goldberg, a Russian émigré who now teaches at New Jersey Institute of Technology, published the solution together with Norwegian mathematician Valentin Lychagin this past March.
Goldberg, 70, told the Forward that he had been working on equations related to the three-web problem since the early 1970s but had only found out about Blaschke’s antisemitic views recently, while reading Sanford Segal’s 2003 book “Mathematicians Under the Nazis.”
Though shaken by the discovery, Goldberg maintains a high opinion of his predecessor’s work.
“I did not lose my admiration for Blaschke,” he said. “His politics should be separated from his intellectual achievements.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!