Nikolai Yevgrafovich Kochin

Born: 1901 in St Petersburg, Russia
Died: 31 Dec 1944 in Moscow, USSR

Kochin graduated from Petrograd University (St Petersburg changed its name to Petrograd in 1914 and then to Leningrad in 1924) in 1923. He taught mathematics and mechanics there (called Leningrad University by this time) from 1924 to 1934.

Kochin moved Moscow University in 1934 and worked there for the rest of his life. In addition he was head of the mechanics section of the Mechanics Institute of the Academy from 1939 to 1944.

Kochin's research was on meteorology, gas dynamics and shock waves in compressible fluids. He gave the solution to the problem of small amplitude waves on the surface of an uncompressed liquid in Towards a Theory of Cauchy-Poisson Waves in 1935.

He also worked on the pitch and roll of ships. In aerodynamics he introduced formulas for aerodynamic force and for the distribution of pressure.

He wrote textbooks on hydromechanics and vector analysis.

List of References (9 books/articles) 

Article by: J.J. O'Connor and E.F. Robertson
Source:       MacTutor History of Mathematics archive