Jakow Trachtenberg

Jakow Trachtenberg was a Russian mathematician, engineer, and educator who made important contributions to engineering, military mathematics, and the study of mathematics education. In addition to a long and productive career in mathematics, Trachtenberg made lasting contributions to his home country by developing several groundbreaking educational methods and systems, especially in the field of mathematics.

Born in the small village of Zitomir in 1897, in present-day Ukraine, Trachtenberg exhibited a passion for mathematics from a young age. He later studied engineering and mathematics in universities in both Berlin and Vienna before earning his doctorate in mathematics in 1929. After finishing his studies, he briefly returned to the Ukraine as an instructor at the Academy of Sciences in Kiev. However, with the oppression of Jews and other non-conformists escalating in the region, Trachtenberg was forced to flee to Paris, where he spent the next seven years working as a mathematics instructor and teaching mathematics at several private schools.

It was in Paris where Trachtenberg developed his most important work and greatest contributions to mathematics. One of his best-known works, the Trachtenberg Speed System, used a set of simple algorithms to teach students to solve challenging mathematical problems at amazing speeds. Trachtenberg's invention was revolutionary in the field of mathematics education, and it eventually become one of the most widely used methods for teaching mathematics in both Europe and North America.

In 1936, Trachtenberg returned to the Ukraine, where he worked as a professor of mathematics at Kiev University. He was an advocate of numeracy and literacy in the region, helping to encourage learning and promoting an interest in mathematics among students. He also developed teaching methods such as the "three minutes equation" which was aimed at improving students' ability to do calculations quickly and accurately.

In 1942, Trachtenberg was conscripted into the Soviet Army, where he quickly rose to rank of Major and began working on aligning new artillery pieces. He was also involved in the defense of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk. Upon his return, Trachtenberg wrote a report in which he summarised the mathematical principles that had been used in the defense of Stalingrad, which went on to inform military strategy during the Second World War.

After his return to Kiev, Trachtenberg resumed teaching at the University and continued to work on his mathematics-related publications until his death in 1942. Trachtenberg's work had a lasting impact on the field of mathematics, and he is widely considered to be one of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century. Many of the teaching methods he developed in Paris, such as the Trachtenberg Speed System, have been implemented in schools and universities throughout the world. In addition to this, Trachtenberg has also been recognised for his successful defence of Stalingrad, which helped set the stage for the final Allied victory in the Second World War.