MATHEMATICAL SOCIETIES


Pak Math Soc, Newsl, 4(4), 2005.

INCREASE in scientific and mathematical activities led to the formation of groups of persons who met, sometimes regularly, for discussions and exchange of ideas. Some of these groups later emerged as academies, schools, or societies. The first of these well known perhaps were, Plato’s Academy in Athens, or the school of Euclid in Alaxandria, or the House of Wisdom (Bait ul Hikma) in Baghdad, or Society of Brother’s of Banu Musa in Baghdad.

It is difficult to say where and when the first mathematical society in the modern sense was founded, but the oldest one that still exists is the Mathematische Gesellschaft in Hamburg. It was founded in 1690 as the Kungstrechnungsliebande Societat. Another early one is the Spatalfields Mathematical Society, which lasted from 1717 to 1846. But these were not societies of national stature. The first society of national stature is the Wiksunding Genootschap, which was founded in Amsterdam in 1778. Later the Moscow Mathematical Society was founded in 1864, the London Mathematical Society in 1865, the Societe Mathematique de France in 1872, the Mathematical Society of Japan in 1877, the Edinburgh Mathematical Society in 1883, the Circolo Matematic di Palmero in 1884, the New York Mathematical Society, which was later renamed as the American Mathematical Society, in 1888 and the Deutsche Mathematiker-Vereinigung in 1890.

The Late Dr Raziuddin Siddiqui founded the first mathematical society in Pakistan in 1952 by the name of All Pakistan Mathematics Association. He remained its President form 1952 to 1972.  After his ‘retirement’ from the Association, tussle between mathematicians from Karachi and Lahore split the Society into two factions. The late Hakim Mohammad Said, as Chairman of the Hamdrad Foundation, financed the Karachi faction. This faction in Karachi convened the first International Conference of Mathematical Sciences in 1975. It was at this conference’s concluding session that due to the personal efforts of the late Dr Raziuddin Siddiqui that the two factions merged together to reform the old All Pakistan Mathematics Association. It was then decided to reformulate its constitution to accommodate various chapters at the provincial capitals, namely, Karachi, Quetta, Lahore and Peshawar. The Society remained inactive for quite some time. Later Professor Dr Q.K.Ghori, tried to bring some life into it in 1983 when he became its President.

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