Ali Moustafa Attia Mosharrafa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 11 July 1898 |
| Died | January 16, 1950 (aged 51) |
| Alma mater | University of Nottingham (1917–1920) King's College London (1920–1923) |
| Spouse | Dawlat H. Zayed (1910–1979) |
| Children | 3 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Cairo University |
| Doctoral advisor | Owen Richardson |
| Notable students | Sameera Moussa |
Dr. Ali Moustafa Attia Mosharrafa (Egyptian Arabic: علي مصطفى عطيه مشرفة; 11 July 1898 – 16 January 1950) was an Egyptian theoretical physicist. He was a Professor of Applied Mathematics at Cairo University and also served as the first dean.[1] He contributed to the development of Quantum theory as well as the Theory of relativity.[2]
Mosharafa obtained his primary certificate in 1910, ranking second nationwide. He obtained his Baccalaureate at the age of 16, becoming the youngest student at that time to be awarded such a certificate and, again, ranking second. He preferred to enroll in the Teachers' College rather than the faculties of Medicine or Engineering due to his deep interest in mathematics.
He graduated in 1917. Due to his excellence in mathematics, the Egyptian Ministry of Education sent him to England where, in 1920, he obtained a BSc (Honors) from the University of Nottingham. The Egyptian University consented to grant Mosharafa another scholarship to complete his doctoral thesis. During his stay in London, he was published many times in prominent science magazines. He obtained a PhD in 1923 from King's College London in the shortest possible time permissible according to the regulations there. In 1924, Mosharafa was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science, the first Egyptian and 11th scientist in the world to obtain such a degree.[3]
He became a teacher in the Higher Teachers' college in Cairo University, he became an associate professor of mathematics in the Faculty of Science because he was under the age of 30, the minimum age required for fulfilling the post of a professor. In 1926 his promotion to professor was raised in the Parliament, then chaired by Saad Zaghloul. The Parliament lauded his qualifications and merits which surpassed those of the English dean of the faculty, and he was promoted to professor.[4]
He was the first Egyptian professor of applied mathematics in the Faculty of Science. He became dean of the faculty in 1936, at the age of 38. He remained in office as a dean of the Faculty of Science until he died in 1950.
During the 1920s and 1930s, he studied Maxwell's equations, the theory of special relativity, and had correspondence with Albert Einstein.[5]
Mosharafa published 25 original papers in distinguished scientific journals about quantum theory, the theory of relativity, and the relation between radiation and matter. He published 12 scientific books about relativity and mathematics. His books about the theory of relativity were translated into English, French, German and Polish. He had also translated 10 books of astronomy and mathematics into Arabic.
Mosharafa was interested in the history of science, with a focus on the contributions of Arab scientists in the Middle Ages. With his student M. Morsi Ahmad, he published al-Khwārizmī's book The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing (Kitab al-Jabr wa-l-Muqabala).
Mosharafa was also interested in the relation between music and mathematics.[6][7]
Mosharafa was the first to call for social reform and development based on scientific research[citation needed]. Mosharafa wanted to promote public scientific awareness and wrote several articles and books on scientific topics intended to be accessible to a wider audience[citation needed]. He also encouraged the translation of scientific literature into Arabic, and contributed writing the Arab scientific encyclopedia and books on the scientific heritage of the Arabs[citation needed]. He was against the use of atomic energy in war and warned against the exploitation of science as a means of destruction.
He wrote 26 significant papers including theoretical explanations of natural phenomena. He wrote 15 books on relativity and mathematics. Among which is a book on the theory of relativity translated into English, French, German and Polish, and reprinted in the United States. He produced around 15 scientific books about relativity, mathematics, and the atom.
