Moderator: physicalattraction
At the start of the 20th century, Hilbert studied the eigenvalues of integral operators by viewing the operators as infinite matrices.[17] He was the first to use the German word <i>eigen</i>, which means "own", to denote eigenvalues and eigenvectors in 1904,[18] though he may have been following a related usage by Helmholtz. For some time, the standard term in English was "proper value", but the more distinctive term "eigenvalue" is standard today.
Over dat 'more distinctive': 'proper' is verwarrend omdat het ook andere betekenissen heeft, naast eigen: ook fatsoenlijk en goed.the more distinctive term "eigenvalue" is standard today.