Category: Natural Sciences

Website for the Erdős Number Project, which studies research collaboration among mathematicians. Most practicing mathematicians are familiar with the definition of one’s Erdös number. Paul Erdös (1913–1996), the widely-traveled and incredibly prolific Hungarian mathematician of the highest caliber, wrote hundreds of mathematical research papers in many different areas, many in collaboration with others. His Erdös number is 0. Erdös’s coauthors have Erdös number 1. People other than Erdös who have written a joint paper with someone with Erdös number 1 but not with Erdös have Erdös number 2, and so on. If there is no chain of coauthorships connecting someone with Erdös, then that person’s Erdös number is said to be infinite.

The “Gömböc” is the first homogeneous, convex object having just one stable and one unstable point of equilibrium. The cover of the fall 2006 (28/4) issue of the prestigeous international journal Mathematical Intelligencer features a Hungarian invention, first time after Rubik’s Cube in 1979. By constructing the Gömböc, the authors confirmed a decade-old conjecture initiated by the great Russian mathematician V.I. Arnold. The authors of the paper are Péter Várkonyi and Gábor Domokos .Both of them work at the Department of Mechanics, Materials and Structures ,School of Architecture and Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

The society was founded in 1891 and has played an important role in the life of mathematics ever since. The site provides information about the activities, books, periodicals of the Society.

The principal purpose of the Institute is to perform high level research in mathematics and its applications, concentrating on theoretical studies inspired partly by the internal development of mathematics and partly by applications of mathematics in other sciences. The Institute also participates in applied research by cooperating with industrial enterprises.

Carrying out observational astronomical studies, mainly related to the physics of the variable stars, galactic structure, solar activity and the terrestrial upper atmosphere. These tasks imply operation of the internationally recognized observational network developed during the last three decades. A very important task is the development of the national astronomical information system, including the observatory’s library.

In 1962, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences decided to concentrate a substantial part of its means on supporting of research in the field of modern biology. Szeged was chosen as the site for a number of reasons. It is a university town with numerous excellent traditions. Based on the concept of interdisciplinarity, scientific work in the BRC is carried out in 5 institutes: Biophysics, Biochemistry, Enzymology, Genetics and Plant Biology.

The Institute was opened in 1927 and since 1951 it had belonged to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The Department of Hydrobiology is involved in the ecological research of Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe. Due to the activities of the institute Balaton became one of the most intensively studied lake of the world and has had an ecologically sound water quality protection program. The Department of Experimental Zoology concentrates on the cellular bases of neuronal regulation in invertebrates, combining neuroanatomical, neurochemical and eletrophysiological techniques, but it also deals with the physiological effects of organic polluatants and their effect on neuronal regulation.

Basic research in the fields of mineral- and petrogenesis, formation of mineral deposits, isotope, organic and environmental geochemistry. Researches of magmatic, sedimentary and metamorphic rock-forming processes aim at the better understanding of the lithosphere and the geological evolution of the Earth’s crust in Hungary and in its wider environment. Geochemical processes of formation and accumulation of certain raw materials (hydrocarbons, subsurface waters as well as ore and other mineral deposits) are also investigated. In the field of environmental science, geochemical processes proceeding in certain geospheres and at their boundaries are studied in order to constrain geochemical cycles of certain bioessential and toxic elements, with special emphasis to protection of soils, subsurface water resources and cultural heritage.

Basic research in geodesy and geophysics, establishment and operation of geophysical observatories in the fields of seismology, geodynamics, geomagnetism, ionosphere and atmospheric electricity, support for institutions to solve problems in geodesy and geophysics, participation in international organizations and projects.

KFKI campus houses five research institutes of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, Hungary: KFKI RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR PARTICLE AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS – Basic research in high-energy nuclear and particle physics, plasma physics, space physics, theoretical investigations; applied research and development in the field of laser techniques, nuclear analysis, space electronics, fast data processing, and optical and X-ray spectroscopy. RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR TECHNICAL PHYSICS AND MATERIAL SCIENCE – Basic research in the field of semiconductors, metals; applied research in sensing devices (semiconductor, magnetic and optical type), and in ceramics. RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR SOLID-STATE PHYSICS AND OPTICS – Basic research in the field of theoretical and experimental solid-state physics and also in the field of theoretical and experimental optics; applied research, including the development, study and applications of specific new materials, new test methods, new optical crystals, thin-film devices and lasers; development of unique research methods. KFKI ATOMIC ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE – Reactor physics; thermo-hydraulics; fuel studies; examination of serious accident processes; development of control systems for atomic energy power plants; reactor simulation, materials research activation analysis; neutron radiography; radiation protection; investigation of condensed materials. INSTITUTE OF ISOTOPE – Nuclear chemistry, including research in nuclear physics, nuclear elements analysis, nuclear safety and radiation protection, radiation chemistry, radiation physics and radiochemistry; surface reactions and heterogeneous catalysis, study of the interaction of the surface with substrates, heterogeneous catalytic reactions.