On September 22, 1873, in the small village of Broscăuți, in Botoșani County, a child was born who would change the course of Romanian mathematics and make a name for himself across Europe. He came from a family of peasants, but his parents, hardworking and eager to see their son educated, instilled in him a love of learning and offered him the chance to go to school.

From humble roots to the heights of science

Dimitrie Pompeiu attended his first classes in Dorohoi, where, from the earliest years, he showed an unusual talent for mathematics. By the third grade, he was already standing out for the ease with which he solved difficult problems, leaving his teachers impressed by his speed and logic. 

At the same time, he began collaborating with a scientific magazine, publishing problems and solutions, proof of the maturity and curiosity of a child who was destined to become a great scholar.

He continued his education at the School for Teachers in Bucharest, aiming to become a professor. His pedagogical talent was quickly noticed by Alexandru Odobescu, who admired his elegant way of teaching, his composure, and his seriousness. 

In 1893, Dimitrie Pompeiu received his diploma as a teacher and was assigned to a primary school in Galați. Yet, he dreamed of getting closer to the capital and pursuing his great passion: mathematics. He soon transferred to Ploiești, where, while working as a teacher, he continued publishing scientific articles.

During this time, he married Aristița Dragomirescu, also a teacher, with whom he had three children. Although his family responsibilities grew, Pompeiu’s ambition knew no limits. 

In 1896 he became a member of the “Friends of Mathematical Sciences” society, proof that his activity was already being recognized. But his greatest wish remained to study mathematics in Paris, the scientific hub of Europe at the time.

The road to Paris and academic training

His departure to Paris was a true adventure. The young teacher managed to save money from his salary and obtain a year’s paid leave, supplementing his funds with the help of an uncle and a loan. 

In 1898, he arrived in the French capital, where he faced his first challenge: to enter university, he had to pass the French baccalaureate. He studied intensively for a year in a special mathematics class and, in 1899, passed the exam with the distinction “très honorable.”

Once enrolled at the Faculty of Mathematics of the Sorbonne, he became a revelation. In just a few years, he obtained certificates in differential and integral calculus, rational mechanics, advanced analysis, and experimental mechanics.

 His professors were impressed by his rigor and creativity. In 1905, after years of intense work—sometimes up to 14 hours a day—and enormous financial sacrifices, he defended his doctoral thesis before some of the greatest mathematicians of the time, including Henri Poincaré. His dissertation, dedicated to functions of complex variables, brought unexpected and valuable results, earning him his doctorate without hesitation.

Student life in Paris, however, was extremely difficult. Pompeiu and his wife lived in austere conditions, often close to poverty. To support him in completing his studies, Aristița returned to Ploiești, where she resumed her work as a teacher and sent money to Paris. Two of their children were born during this trying time, and the family endured great hardship so that Dimitrie’s dream could come true.

Returning home and university career

After obtaining his doctorate, Dimitrie Pompeiu returned to Romania and was hired as a lecturer at the University of Iași, teaching mathematical analysis. In 1907, he obtained a professorship in mechanics, and in 1912 he transferred to the University of Bucharest, becoming the successor of Spiru Haret. There he consolidated his reputation as a mathematician of great value and was later appointed professor of the theory of functions.

At the same time, Pompeiu was deeply involved in organizing Romanian mathematical education. After the First World War, he founded the first mathematical seminar in Cluj, modeled after the Collège de France. In 1929, he launched the journal Mathematica, one of the first Romanian scientific publications with international circulation. Over the course of his career, he published more than 150 articles and studies in several languages, contributing to strengthening Romania’s prestige in the world of mathematics.

Recognition of his value also came from the Romanian Academy, which elected him as a full member in 1934. Generations of students fondly remembered his teaching style: rigorous, yet clear and accessible, capable of awakening interest and passion for mathematics. Grigore Moisil, one of Romania’s greatest mathematicians, used to say that “with Pompeiu you learned all of mathematics and, if you wished, mechanics as well.”

Mathematical contributions and his legacy

Dimitrie Pompeiu’s work brought fundamental contributions to mathematics. Among the best-known is the Cauchy-Pompeiu formula, an extension of Cauchy’s celebrated result, which opened new paths in complex analysis. He also introduced innovative notions such as polygene functions and the areolar derivative.

In 1929, he formulated what is now known as “Pompeiu’s problem”: if a continuous function has the same double integral over all squares of a given side length, then the function must be constant. This seemingly simple idea opened a vast field of research and continues to be a subject of study in mathematical analysis today.

His contributions also extended to mathematical mechanics, differential equations, and metric theory, where the Hausdorff-Pompeiu distance bears his name. Through all these achievements, Dimitrie Pompeiu fulfilled every criterion of a mathematician of reference: he introduced new concepts, created applicable methods, solved major problems, and posed new questions that challenged future generations.

In his memory and on the boulevard

Dimitrie Pompeiu passed away in 1954, in Bucharest, leaving behind a scientific legacy of immense value and a solid Romanian school of mathematics. Today, his name is carried by an important boulevard in the north of the capital, as well as by schools and institutions, reminding passersby and students alike of the destiny of a man who rose from a modest village to international recognition.

The name on the boulevard is not just an urban label, but a living memory of a destiny that shows how far ambition, perseverance, and a passion for knowledge can take a person. Dimitrie Pompeiu remains not only a great mathematician, but also a symbol of the power of education and the role of science in elevating a nation.

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