Fill in the Blanks englishOnline version ¿Quién fue Nicolás Bourbaki? by paulina Ramirez Farrera 1 French revolutionizing did calculus theorems function 1968 definitions axioms Nicolas American their ruse found 1950s write logical mathematical rejected result began Bourbaki joke mathématique 1934 influential publish When Nicolas Bourbaki applied to the Mathematical Society in the , he was already one of the most mathematicians of his time . Yet his application was firmly for one simple reason Bourbaki not exist . In , a group of mathematicians were particularly fed up . While studying at the prestigious École normale supérieure , they the textbook for their class so disjointed that they decided to a better one . The was the " Éléments de mathématique , " a treatise that sought to create a consistent framework unifying every branch of mathematics . The text with a set of simple . From there , its authors derived more and more complex , to accomplish this , they gave new , clear to some of the most important objects , including the . They were the field , and they wanted to mark the occasion with biggest stunt yet . They decided to " Éléments de " and all their subsequent work under a collective pseudonym : Nicolas . In , when they could no longer maintain the , the group ended their the only way they could . They printed Bourbaki's obituary , complete with mathematical puns .
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