Émile Borel
1871–1956, Saint-Affrique, France, Paris, France
AnalysisProbability and statisticsFoundations of mathematics
French mathematician who helped found measure theory and modern probability, and studied normal numbers and divergent series.
Émile Borel developed the Borel sigma-algebra and Borel sets, essential language for measure and probability. His work on divergent series, normal numbers, and games connected real analysis with probability and applications. The question of whether familiar constants such as pi are normal is now known as the normality problem of pi.
Workplaces: University of Paris
France