home > Nail design > In which country is the Nobel Prize awarded? What are the Nobel Prizes for this year? Rules for the award


In which country is the Nobel Prize awarded? What are the Nobel Prizes for this year? Rules for the award




One of the most prestigious awards for achievements in the field of culture, practical science, and the development of society is the Nobel Prize. The founder is the Swedish inventor, chemist Alfred Nobel. The scientist-engineer left the world many useful devices. But he became famous thanks to dynamite and a will, according to which people who brought "the maximum benefit to mankind" received awards every year.

Not all areas of science and culture were included in the list of nominations. Nobel clearly indicated in which areas to award awards. Until now, scientists and ordinary people are worried about the question: why do not they give the Nobel Prize to mathematicians. There is no opinion confirmed by historians. Therefore, there have been many theories, from anecdotal to probable.

Who gets the Nobel Prize and why?

Alfred Nobel was considered "the creator of death" during his lifetime. Therefore, according to historians, the inventor left a fortune to talented descendants. Not just pioneers in one area or another. And those individuals who have brought practical benefits to humanity.

Let's figure out who is given and who is not given the Nobel Prize.

History of the Nobel Prize

The creator of the Nobel Prize was born into a family of engineers. The sphere of vital interests is engineering, chemistry, inventions. Nobel received a significant share of his capital from his 355 inventions (the famous one is dynamite).

The great inventor lived for 63 years. Died of a cerebral hemorrhage. A year before his death, Alfred Nobel changed his will for the "benefit of mankind." When the will of the deceased was announced, numerous relatives demanded a refutation. But the Norwegian Storting approved the document.

The executors of the will organized the Nobel Foundation to carry out instructions, manage the fortune, and present prizes. The testator's movable and immovable property was converted into liquid assets. The collected capital was placed in a bank. Annually, income from investments is distributed to those persons who in the previous year "benefited humanity."

The rules for awarding the award are governed by the Foundation's Statute. The "significance and usefulness" of inventions is determined by the Nobel Committee.

Nominations

Alfred Nobel indicated in his will that the income from his assets is divided into 5 equal parts. The last will of the great inventor also contains a list of subject areas in which it is necessary to “look for” the most useful achievements. Since then, the prestigious award has been awarded in the following categories:

  • discovery or invention in the field physics;
  • improvement or useful discovery in the field chemistry;
  • physiological or medical opening;
  • literary idealistic work;
  • promotion of peace unity of nations, the abolition of slavery.

The facilitator emphasized that nationality of applicants is not taken into account. The only condition is that the achievement must benefit humanity.

Mathematics Nobel bypassed in his will. But in some sources there is information that the subject was originally indicated. Later, the inventor crossed out science.

Why mathematicians were discriminated against

Mathematicians themselves believe that one cannot do without their science anywhere. Alfred Nobel forgot to mention the subject. I decided that along with physics and chemistry, it goes without saying.

The townsfolk have a different explanation why the Nobel Prize in mathematics is not awarded. This is an abstract science that is not useful to everyone. What does humanity get from a new way of solving the most complex equation?.. Therefore, the subject was not included in the list of nominations.

In the press, jokes are “favorite” in which the decision of the founder of the Nobel Prize is explained by personal motives. Names of the proposed theories:

  • Franco-American version. The Swedish mathematician Mittag-Leffler persistently courted the wife of Alfred Nobel. Moreover, the latter began to reciprocate the scientist, which offended the dignity of the inventor of dynamite. The founder of the award took revenge on his opponent by deleting “pseudo-science” from his will.
  • Swedish version. There was a conflict between Nobel and Mittag-Leffler. And the reasons are not related to the betrayal of the testator's wife. The inventor understood that Leffler would get the prize in mathematics. After all, the latter is a leader in its field. Nobel did not allow this.

People also “love” the story about the theatre. A certain admirer allegedly kissed the hand of Nobel's wife Sophie so enthusiastically that he did not notice how he stepped on the unlucky spouse's foot. Later, Alfred found out that the suitor was a professor of mathematics.

Such versions in the scientific world are considered anecdotal. And there is official evidence of this. Alfred Nobel was not married. Mittag-Leffler existed. The Swedish mathematician sought to have a talented woman Sofya Kovalevskaya (in anecdotes - "wife") be admitted to Stockholm University for a professorship. And Nobel, as one of the sponsors, did not allow this.

Later, Leffler persuaded the inventor to leave part of the state to the university. The mathematician was overly persistent, which irritated Nobel. The scientist achieved nothing. It only angered the founder of the award: the latter deleted Stockholm University from his will.

Historians and scientists themselves have more plausible versions why the “Nobel for mathematicians” is not available:

  • The founder of the award was engaged in life in chemistry, physics and medicine, was fond of literature. Served for the strengthening of peace. Participated in anti-slavery societies. Therefore, these five areas were included in the list of nominations.
  • Nobel established a prize only for experimental sciences for those achievements that have brought real benefits to people.. Theoretical subjects were not included in the will. It is impossible to objectively evaluate their discoveries. Check the result experimentally - too.

Einstein's theory of relativity is of little use to mankind: the discovery is significant only for a certain circle of people. But his own theory of the photoelectric effect made a tangible contribution to the development of the whole society. Therefore, the scientist received a prestigious award for the latter.

How will they console themselves

Mathematicians themselves are not very offended that Nobel bypassed their science. The Nobel Prize is a socially significant award, with huge cash prizes and a magnificent ceremony. It is difficult to call it purely scientific. It is far from always that scientists who have made a tangible contribution to science rise to the podium. Their achievements are more important for society.

Mathematicians are awarded other prestigious prizes. And here the nominees are those who have made a huge contribution to mathematical science.

Fields Medal

The most prestigious award in the field of mathematics. The nominees receive a cash prize and a gold medal. Founder - John Fields, President of the VII International Mathematical Congress (1924). Awarded on a permanent basis since 1936 to 2-4 scientists.

Compare with the Nobel Prize.

The Fields Medal is known as the "Nobel Prize for Mathematicians". This emphasizes its prestige and importance in the mathematical world.

Abel Prize

Formally (but not in meaning) closer to the Nobel Prize is the Abel Prize. Awarded since 2003 at the initiative of the Norwegian government. Named after Niels Henrik Abel.

The winner of the Abel award is a scientist who has made a significant contribution to the development of mathematics (without reference to age). The value of the award is comparable to the value of the "Nobel Prize" (more than 1 million US dollars). Awarded annually.

The Nobel Prize is not available to mathematicians. The real reasons are hardly related to the personal motives of its founder. Mathematical discoveries have no practical significance. And this is one of the important conditions for obtaining a Nobel Prize.

Alfred Nobel bequeathed 94% of his fortune to the organization of the prize in five areas of knowledge that were of interest to him. Further, more about what the prize is awarded for, what Alfred Nobel is generally known for, and why there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics.

What is Alfred Nobel famous for?

Many people know Alfred Nobel only as the person whose name the prize is named after, which is awarded annually in several directions. This famous person was born in the first half of the nineteenth century, and died four years before his graduation. Alfred Nobel owns 355 different patents, his most famous invention being dynamite. This Swedish chemist, inventor, engineer and entrepreneur has also done charity work.

Alfred Nobel lived part of his life in Russia, from his youth he was fluent in four languages: English, German, French and Russian. After seven years of living in St. Petersburg, Alfred's father sent him to study in the United States, the Russian chemist Nikolai Zinin advised him to do so. Along the way, the young man visited several European countries, and when he arrived in the United States, he worked for the inventor John Ericsson, who designed the Monitor battleship, the Noverti locomotive and became the owner of several more patents. Nobel filed his first American patent for a gas meter in 1857, but the first patent he received was for determining how to make gunpowder (1863).

Upon returning to Russia, Alfred Nobel took up the affairs of a family firm that fulfilled orders for the Russian army. The Crimean War contributed to the prosperity of the company, but after it the factories could not return to normal production, and the family declared itself bankrupt. Nobel's parents returned to Sweden, and he devoted himself to the study of explosives. In 1863 he invented the detonator, in 1867 - dynamite. In total, he patented 355 inventions.

History of the establishment of the Nobel Prize

In 1888, when Nobel's brother died, newspapers mistakenly announced the death of Albert himself, and not his brother. When he read his own obituary "Dealer of Death" in a French newspaper, he seriously thought about how he would be remembered by mankind. After that, he decided to change his will.

Nobel's will assumed that all movable and immovable property of the compiler should be converted into monetary units, which should be placed in a reliable financial institution. All income should belong to a specially created fund, which will distribute it in the form of cash bonuses to those who have brought the greatest benefit to human society over the past year. It was his particular desire that the nationality of the candidate should not be taken into account when awarding prizes.

At first, the paper was received with skepticism. Relatives of Alfred Nobel called themselves offended and demanded that the document be officially recognized as illegal. The Nobel Foundation and the presentation of prizes were organized by the executors of his will - the secretary R. Sulman and the lawyer R. Lilekvist. Later, separate institutions were identified, which were engaged in the awarding of individual prizes. When the Swedish-Norwegian Union was terminated, the Norwegian Committee became responsible for awarding the peace prize, and the organizations of Sweden - for the rest.

Rules for awarding the prize to them. A. Nobel

The statute of the Nobel Foundation determines the rules for awarding the prize. Only individuals can be nominated, not organizations (except for the Peace Prize, which can be awarded to both individuals and official organizations). In one year, one or two discoveries in the same field may be encouraged, but the number of laureates should not exceed three. The rule was officially added in 1968, but in fact it has always been followed.

What is the Nobel Prize for? For outstanding discoveries in five areas: physics, chemistry, medicine and physiology, literature, promoting peace in the world.

Between several candidates, the monetary reward is divided in this way: first in equal parts between the works, then according to the same principle between their authors. For example, if two discoveries are awarded, then the allocated money is first divided by two. The first work has two authors - half is divided once again equally, and the second - one - half is awarded to him.

Also, the award should not be awarded posthumously. But if the laureate was alive at the time of the Nobel Prize, but was taken to another world before the ceremony, then the prize is retained by him. This rule came into effect in 1974. Until that moment, the Nobel Prize had been awarded posthumously twice: Dag Hammarskjöld (by the way, he was the first to refuse the prize during his lifetime, referring to the fact that he held a position in the Nobel Committee, and that he was little known outside of Sweden) and Eric Karlfeldt, the winner of the 1961 Peace Prize of the year. According to the approved rule, the award was retained by William Vickrey. Only once did the Nobel Committee deviate from the rule by awarding Ralph Steiman posthumously, since at the time of the nomination the committee considered him alive.

If the members of the Nobel Committee in the current year did not find worthy candidates, the prize may not be awarded. In this case, the funds are kept until next year.

Areas in which awards are given

Alfred Nobel indicated in his will that the interest from the contribution must be divided into 5 equal parts, which are intended:

  • the one who makes the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics;
  • one who makes an improvement or an important discovery in the field of chemistry;
  • one who makes a discovery in the field of physiology or medicine;
  • the one who will create the most outstanding literary work;
  • the one who will make the most important contribution to the rallying of nations, the reduction of armies, the abolition of slavery, the promotion of peace conferences.

So Alfred Nobel determined what to give the Nobel Prize for.

But Nobel refused the prize to famous mathematicians. To the question of why there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics, he himself could not answer, since the will (as it should) was made public after his departure to another world. Be that as it may, the inventor and entrepreneur provided for awards in only five areas.

Why there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics has been asked before, but the committee is not going to expand the list of prizes, for which it has been criticized more than once. Its representatives answer that since only five directions were allocated in the will of the founder of the award, it means that they will give awards in five. No more, no less.

Russian Nobel Prize winners

The list of Russian laureates includes persons who, at the time of awarding the prize, had the citizenship of Russia, the USSR, the Russian Empire, regardless of their real nationality at that time. The first Nobel Prize winner from Russia was I. Pavlov for his discoveries in the physiology of the digestive system. I. Mechnikov (for works on immunity), I. Bunin (Nobel Prize in Literature), N. Semenov (chemistry), B. Pasternak (literature), P. Cherenkov, I. Tamm and I. Frank (physics), L. Landau (physics), N. Basov, A. Prokhorov (physics), M. Sholokhov (literature), A. Solzhenitsyn (literature), A. Sakharov (peace prize) and others.

Why there is no Nobel Prize in Mathematics

But still, the Nobel Prize in mathematics is not awarded. Why is there no Nobel Prize in Mathematics? Alfred Nobel noted in his will that he chose all disciplines after a balanced and deliberate analysis. But the train of thought of the inventor and entrepreneur remained unknown.

The most likely version of why mathematicians are not awarded the Nobel Prize is the following fact: Nobel insisted that inventions should give real benefits to all mankind, and mathematics is still an exclusively theoretical science. After all, most of the population doesn't care if Fermat's Theorem is proven or not. But if the queen of sciences is applied to physics or chemistry, outstanding scientists are awarded precisely in these disciplines.

Versions related to private life

There is also a version that Alfred Nobel's wife allegedly cheated on him with a mathematician. It was for this that the scientist became angry with the queen of sciences and did not add her to the will. In fact, Nobel was not married at all, and this is just a catchy explanation. At forty-three, he advertised in the newspaper that he was looking for a housewife, translator and secretary all rolled into one. Bertha Kinsky responded to the ad. But soon she left for Austria and got married, and relations with Alfred remained exceptionally friendly.

By the way, it was Bertha Kinski who advised Nobel to include the Peace Prize in his will. Later, the Nobel Foundation presented this prize to her.

Another version is Alfred Nobel's dislike for the mathematician Mittag-Leffler. Then it was he who was one of the most likely contenders for the first prize. The reasons for the hostility are not exactly known. Some sources claim that Mittag-Leffler tried to woo Nobel's fiancee, others that he annoyingly demanded donations to Stolkholm University. It can be assumed that this was also the reason for the exclusion of the queen of sciences from their list.

"Ghosts" of the Nobel Prize in Mathematics

Although the Nobel Prize in mathematics is not awarded, there are several awards that replace it. The equivalents are the Fields Medal, the Abel Prize, and the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economics.

Nobel Prize. Only the deaf have not heard of it. The most honorable reward for the luminaries of science, culture and art. This is a kind of Oscar, but not for those who shine on the big screen, but for those who reveal the secrets of nature in a small room or write a literary masterpiece.

However, how much is this gratitude expressed today? In this article, we will figure out how much money they give for the Nobel Prize, for example, in 2015 or 2016, and why the amount used to constantly vary, but now it has received its own standard. And so, let's go.

History of the award

As is usually the case, we'll start with history, in this case the history of how the award was born.

The award itself bears its name in honor of the Swedish inventor, engineer and industrialist Alfred Bernhard Nobel. In addition to the fact that the monetary reward bears his name, the money for this is also allocated from his fund.

The ceremony dates back to 1901, since then a special commission has determined the best in the fields of medicine, chemistry, physiology, literature, physics and the defense of the world. Since 1969, the economy has been added to this list. It is not known whether we should expect another expansion of the list, but in any case, there is no discussion at the official level about this.

The appearance of the award

Here, in general, you can retell almost the legend about this case. Her appearance is usually associated with one tragic situation that occurred in the life of Alfred Nobel.

As you know, he is considered the inventor of dynamite, and so, in 1889, due to negligence, his brother Ludwig died suddenly, after which a negligent journalist mentioned Alfred as a death dealer. Of course, he did not like it, and he absolutely did not want to die, leaving such a terrible memory of himself.

Therefore, he decided to clean up his karma, so to speak, and in his will asked to sell all his, by the way, not small property, but to buy securities with the money received, with the help of which the fund was founded. Those percentages that remained after the initial capital, the scientist obliged to distribute among the top five specialists in their field (I have already described the nominations above).

Reward size

Well, here we come to the main question. At the very beginning, it was difficult to determine the exact amount of payments, since it directly depended on the accumulated interest. However, it is safe to say that the first payment was 150 thousand Swiss crowns.

Since then, its amount has only increased and reached a million and a half dollars. However, as it turned out, in recent years, interest has not been enough for the ceremony, the maintenance of the administration and the award itself. That is, the balance went negative. And if the fund goes bankrupt, then there will be no bonus.

Therefore, it was decided to fix the amount of the payment at the level of 1.1 million dollars, so that the premium would be paid as long as possible, and maybe indefinitely. How much is it in rubles is easy to calculate.

Do you know that thanks to Nobel's relatives, there might not have been a prize at all. Since they were not very satisfied with the last wish of the inventor, they decided through the court to challenge his will and divide all the property that he owned among themselves. Fortunately for the future scientists and cultural figures, they did not succeed, although each received 2 million crowns after the proceedings.

Such is the case, friends. Let's not forget this glorious man who passed away not as a merchant of death, but as a worthy person and philanthropist. Let us wish the Foundation many years of existence, so that not a single outstanding person, including in Russia, is deprived of a prize for success in his field.

All the best to you!

December 10, the day of death Alfred Nobel The Nobel Prize will be awarded at the Stockholm Philharmonic. Each laureate will receive King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden a gold medal with a portrait of the founder of the award and a diploma. The amount of the monetary component of the award this year, as in the previous three years, reaches 8 million kroons (about 59 million rubles).

Who is up for the award this year?

Until the last moment, the Nobel committees do not report anything about the contenders for the prize themselves, or about those who nominated them, and experts are trying to make assumptions about the names kept secret.

Each year, Thomson Reuters attempts to predict who will win awards based on the citation rankings of researchers.

- Physics

In the field of physics, an award can be given for the experimental detection of gravitational waves. Among the main contenders for the prize are three physicists: Rainer Weiss, professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ronald Drever, Scottish physicist, specialist in the field of lasers, and Kip Thorne, physicist and astronomer, recognized in the world as an expert in the field of general relativity.

According to the Thomson Reuters citation count, two more teams of scientists claiming the Nobel Prize in Physics are named. So, a possible candidate named professor Marvin Cohen for the study of the properties of solids, mathematical methods for calculating their properties, and especially for the empirical method of pseudopotentials. Also among the possible candidates are Celso Grebogi, Edward Ott and James York for contributions to the theory of control of chaotic systems. The OGY method developed by them has found wide application in studying the behavior of chaotic systems in mechanics, laser physics, radiophysics, chemistry, biology, and medicine.

Eligible for the Chemistry Prize George Church and Feng Jang who managed to edit the genomes of mice and humans using a system responsible for the production of acquired immunity in bacteria. It turned out to be possible to use the system for editing the genes of animals and humans, in particular, for removing HIV from infected T-lymphocytes.

In addition to them, the reward can count Dennis Lo, who developed a way to detect fetal extracellular DNA in maternal plasma, which would help diagnose certain genetic diseases, and X Iroshi Maeda with Yasuhiro Matsumura who discovered the effect of increased permeability and retention for macromolecular drugs.

- Economy

Among the likely candidates for the award is Edward Lazier for his work in the field of workforce economics, which concerns the development of new models of employee motivation, career development and labor productivity, as well as Olivier Blanchard for contributions to macroeconomics and the study of factors that determine economic instability and employment.

Named third candidate Mark Melitz for his research on the heterogeneity (heterogeneity) of firms in international trade.

- Peace Prize

Eligible for the Peace Prize former US intelligence agent Edward Snowden and Pope Francis.

How many people have received the Nobel Prize since its inception?

Since 1901, 881 individuals and 23 organizations have received the award. It was not awarded during the First and Second World Wars. The United States is the leader in terms of the number of laureates (359 people), the UK is in second place (121 people), and Germany is in third place (104 people). Russia has 27 laureates.

Voluntarily waived French award writer Jean-Paul Sartre and Vietnamese Le Duc Tho politician. Forcibly, three did not receive it. Adolf Gitler banned chemist Richard Kuhn, biochemist Adolf Butenandt and bacteriologist Gerhard Domagk accept the award, and the Soviet writer Boris Pasternak at first he agreed to accept the award, but then, under pressure from the authorities, he refused.

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has been awarded for the largest scientific research, contribution to culture and the development of society.

The rewarding of those who received this year's most famous and illustrious service to humanity award has begun. That's who was awarded the prize in the last few days.

Medicine and physiology

The prize went to Yoshinori Ohsumi, a molecular biologist from Japan who investigated the mechanism of cell autophagy. Autophagy is the mechanism by which a cell digests its own internal components. In other words, it eats itself. Mammalian cell lysosomes contain enzymes and acid, like the stomach. With the help of this "cellular stomach" digestion occurs. In yeast cells, a similar process occurs in vacuoles.

Self-eating is a natural process, so the cell is freed from unnecessary, and the body as a whole - from cells that have become obsolete.

Autophagy is especially important during the formation of the embryo, when destroyed cells must be removed in time, and new ones must be formed. If something goes wrong, the new organism does not survive.

Cells in which old, poorly functioning parts linger become a source of danger to the body. The old "stuffing" (used proteins and organelles, dead bacteria) can cause inflammatory processes. Disturbances in the normal course of such intracellular harvesting are the cause of tumors and neurodegenerative diseases.

The phenomenon has been known since the middle of the 20th century, but Yoshinori Osumi studied it with the help of experiments conducted on baker's yeast. Thanks to this, the Japanese scientist and his assistants managed to understand which genes and proteins trigger the process of “self-eating”.

Why is this needed?

By understanding the principles of autophagy, in the future we will be able to stimulate cell renewal in living organisms, stop degradation or stimulate the destruction of “bad” cells that grow where they are not supposed to.

Chemistry

Scientists from Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Bernard Feringa and Fraser Stoddart (France, USA and the Netherlands) received an award for nanotechnology - development of molecular machines.

They created the smallest machines in the world, the working parts of which are interconnected molecules. Using this principle, it was possible to design a tiny motor that drives ultraviolet radiation, a microscopic elevator and molecular "muscles".

Physics

The Nobel Prize was shared by David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and John Kosterlitz, whose research is devoted to unusual states of matter - topological phases.

In general, phase changes are, for example, a change in the aggregate state of matter (when a liquid becomes gaseous or a solid becomes liquid). This year's award-winning researchers are working on phase transformations that have been little studied before, as well as what properties matter acquires in "strange states."

They work in a field called condensed matter physics, which studies the behavior of complex, tightly coupled systems. These include ordinary liquids, and crystals, and amorphous bodies, and quantum liquids - for example, the contents of neutron stars and atomic nuclei. The research of this year's laureates relates to the description of the Berezinsky-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BCT) phase transition associated with such phenomena as superconductivity, superfluidity and magnetism.

Topology studies the continuity of object states. Perhaps the most famous object of consideration in this area of ​​\u200b\u200bknowledge is the Möbius strip.

Topological or phase transition is the transformation of matter from one object to another, and it is carried out continuously or with breaks.

According to the will of Alfred Nobel, the prize is given for the most important discoveries or inventions in the field of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, as well as for an outstanding literary work and contribution to the strengthening of the commonwealth of nations. Who will receive the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Nobel Peace Prize will be known in the coming days.

You can follow the news of the award and get acquainted with the details on the official website -