Sydney Coleman (1937-2007) was a descendant of Gauss

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the genealogical lineage of physicist Sidney Coleman, specifically his connection to Carl Gauss and potentially to Galileo. Participants explore the implications of this lineage and share links to resources that trace academic ancestry.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Historical, Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant asserts that Sidney Coleman is a descendant of Gauss, referencing a genealogy created by Arivero.
  • Another participant points out a potential error in the spelling of Sidney's name, suggesting it should be "Sidney" instead of "Sydney."
  • A participant offers a method for tracing lineage back to Galileo, implying that connections can be made through historical figures like Viviani.
  • Links to various resources and blogs discussing Sidney Coleman and his legacy are shared by participants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the connection between Coleman and Gauss, but there is uncertainty regarding the accuracy of names and the method of tracing lineage back to Galileo. The discussion remains open with multiple viewpoints presented.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes references to historical figures and the nature of academic genealogy, but lacks detailed explanations of the methods used to establish these connections.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in the history of physics, academic genealogy, or the legacy of Sidney Coleman may find this discussion relevant.

marcus
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Sidney Coleman (1937-2007) was a descendant of Gauss

Arivero informed us of this back in 2005, about the time a celebration for the much beloved and admired Sidney Coleman was held at Harvard---the "Sidneyfest". Attended by a who's who of Nobel laureates and the like.

Anyway Arivero came up with a PhD advisor geneology for Coleman
https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=500382&postcount=23

that goes back to Carl Gauss.

a great from a line of greats

also very funny and nice, I'm led to believe, lot's of Sidney stories collected by Frank Wilczek's wife Betsy Devine
betsydevine.com/blog/2007/11/20/our-friend-sidney-coleman-has-left-the-planet/#comments
more comments at Peter Woit's blog
http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=620#comments

maybe someone wants to give a link

====EDIT TO REPLY TO NEXT TWO====

Robphy, thanks for pointing out :blushing: I corrected the post but the booboo is still on the index page (I can't fix things there)

Iblis, how can one trace PhD advisors back to Galileo?
I'm curious. I didn't know people wrote PhD dissertations back in Galileo's time
 
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You can make a link to Galileo this way. :smile:
 
for galileo one could tell Viviani.