Gyula Farkas (1847-1931) became a well-known scientist in his age due to his thermodynamic achievements, but today - after rediscovering his articles in 1950 - he is also noted as one of the founders of operation research. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth, his name became known beyond scientific circles. In this article, brief introduction into his life is given. The emphasis is put onto his achievements which provides modern context for efficient introduction of younger generations into the scientific world, and especially scientific methodology and interdisciplinary approaches.Gyula Farkas, sciences, thermodynamics, scientific competitions

Dezso Gurka

English

Research Papers in Economics

Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems 9(1), 81-86, 2011 
*Corresponding author, : gurka.dezso@gmail.com; +36 66 311511; 
*Institute of Pedagogics and Social Sciences, Faculty of Education, Szent István University, 
*H–5540 Szarvas, Szabadság str. 4, Hungary 
THE GYULA FARKAS MEMORIAL COMPETITION 
IN THE CONTEXT OF THE HUNGARIAN 
SCIENTIFIC COMPETITIONS 
Dezső Gurka*
Institute of Pedagogics and Social Sciences, Szent István University 
Szarvas, Hungary 
Regular article  Received: 9. March 2011. Accepted: 20. June 2011.
ABSTRACT 
Gyula Farkas (1847-1931) became a well-known scientist in his age due to his thermodynamic 
achievements, but today – after rediscovering his articles in 1950 – he is also noted as one of the 
founders of operation research. On the occasion of the 150
th anniversary of his birth, his name became 
known beyond scientific circles. 
In this article, brief introduction into his life is given. The emphasis is put onto his achievements 
which provides modern context for efficient introduction of younger generations into the scientific 
world, and especially scientific methodology and interdisciplinary approaches. 
KEY WORDS 
Gyula Farkas, sciences, thermodynamics, scientific competitions 
CLASSIFICATION 
JEL: A29D. Gurka 
82 
INTRODUCTION 
Gyula Farkas was born on 28
th March 1847 in Pusztasárosd (now Sárosd) near Lake Balaton, 
where his father was an estate supervisor on an Esterházy property there. During his 
secondary school years in Győr he got acquainted with Ányos Jedlik, one of inventors of 
dynamo and it was Jedlik’s encouragement which directed him towards physics. Farkas was 
interested in music at a young age. He was devoted to music later in his life, too: he wrote 
several articles in music, played the piano and gave performances also outside Hungary. 
In 1874, still as a secondary school teacher, he had the opportunity to read one of his papers 
at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which was given a criticism by Loránd Eötvös. The 
following years in Gyula Farkas’s life were marked by Eötvös’s demands: he could obtain 
widespread scientific knowledge ability and was able to deepen his mathematical awareness. 
Farkas got a job as tutor of the Batthyány counts, who played an important role in the 
beginnings of his scientific career. They built a laboratory of physics in one of their castles, 
and Farkas, escorting his aristocratic students, had the opportunity to make some professional 
acquaintances. 
Although his first remarkable works were in the fields of algebra published, from 1880 he 
became the privat-docent of function at the University of Budapest. In 1887 he was appointed 
the professor of the mathematics and physics department at the University of Kolozsvár (now 
Cluj-Napoca, Romania). His state is special because at the beginning of his scientific career 
he was noted more as a mathematician, later more as a theoretical physicist, yet his scientific 
oeuvre looks homogeneous became the most important feature of his articles in physics had a 
strict mathematical background. 
In 1893 Gyula Farkas was delegated by University of Kolozsvár at the Galilei celebrations in 
Padoa, where he was appointed honorary professor. Focal articles of his oeuvre were 
connected to this event, as his article titled A virtuális sebességek elve Galileinél (eng. The 
theory of virtual speed at Galilei) was written after this celebration. After this the main area 
of his research became this branch of mechanics. 
Between 1893 and 1926 Farkas wrote nine articles about virtual speed and the mathematical 
problems relating to it, whose effect on the theory of optimalization was first valued by 
András Prékopa [1]. The Farkas Theorem was first determined in [2] and was first used to 
describe the mechanical balance. His achievements in mathematics became known by his 
article [3], and the rediscovery of this article made him the often cited classic of the theory of 
optimalization. 
Another important publication of his preceded the thermodynamic theory of Caratheodory. 
Latest research has found that the foundations of thermodynamics by Farkas were described 
fourteen years earlier than those of Caratheodory and they were completely different from 
those, but followed a much simpler way [4]. 
Gyula Farkas was appointed a member of the Hungarian Academy of Science in 1898. He 
was the Dean of the University of Kolozsvár seven times and in the academy year of 
1907/1908 he was the Rector of it. He played an important role in the development of the 
traditions of mathematics in Kolozsvár, namely that Frigyes Riesz, Alfréd Haar and Lipót 
Fejér taught at the university. 
The results of modern physics also appeared in his university talks, he was the first in 
Hungary who gave lectures about the special theory of relativity
1 [5]. Gyula Farkas resigned 
because of his eye problems and lived in Budapest from 1915 until his death in 1930. The Gyula Farkas memorial competition in the context of the Hungarian scientific competitions 
83 
The basic principle of homogenous linear inequalities, published in the Crelle Journal, 
became part of the history of mathematics as the Farkas Theorem. Albert W. Tucker 
rediscovered it in the 1950s and used it in his proofs
2 [6]. Later Farkas was recognized as the 
predecessor of several areas of modern science (e.g.: linear programming, economic and 
mathematical optimalization). One of the latest synthesis of mathematical history thinks that 
the Farkas Theorem is one the most important thesis in the historical precedent of linear 
programming [7]. 
THE BEGINNINGS AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GYULA 
FARKAS MEMORIAL COMPETITIONS 
THE EVENTS OF THE FARKAS-ANNIVERSARY 
Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Birth of Farkas the periodical Fizikai Szemle 
published six, and the Természet Világa two articles about Gyula Farkas’ life and work. The 
book titled Új utak a magyar operációkutatásban (eng.  Alternative Ways in Hungarian 
Operation Research) contains two lectures given at the Institute of Mathematics. A sixty page 
book was published (titled Farkas Gyula élete és munkássága (eng. Gyula Farkas’ life and 
work)) in 2003 [8]. The most important event of the fortunately growing Farkas cult was the 
international scientific conference held in Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) in Aug 2004. 
The beginning of the Gyula Farkas Memorial Competition in Sárosd is also connected to the 
anniversary of his birth. Farkas’s name thanks to a local historical was already known is 
Sárosd. The private initiative to erect a memorial plate and a similar intention by the Loránd 
Eötvös Physical Society and the Bolyai Society made the decision by the local authorities 
faster. Farkas’s birthplace was marked by the memorial plate in 1997. 
The next step in building the Farkas cult was that the local primary school took up Gyula 
Farkas’ name. On this occasion László Filep, the author of the first biography presented the 
school with the photos which he received from the relatives of Gyula Farkas. They have been 
commemorating the locally born scientist with a memorial competition since 2000. 
THE SCIENTIFIC FEATURES OF THE COMPETITION 
The Gyula Farkas Memorial Competition, which commemorates the intricate work of the 
eponym, is a complex science competition, which contains musical, art and drama tasks, too. 
The participants of the competitions 
There are 10-12 teams at the competition in two age groups pupils in the 5th–6th grade and 
pupils in the 7
th-8
th grade make up four member teams. Apart from the Sárosd region two 
forcing Hungarian schools take parts. The relationship with the Báthory Lycée was justified 
by the fact that Gyula Farkas was a professor in Kolozsvár, the teams from Zenta (Senta, 
Serbian Republic) applied for the invitation. This way it is possible for the Hungarians to 
keep contact with Hungarian minorities living in bordering countries in an informal way, too. 
At the same time both the students and the teachers can have a closer look at the 
characteristics of the teaching methods in the different countries (it is a striking fact that the 
team from Kolozsvár has a precise apparatus in solving a mathematical problem, whereas the 
Hungarian teams are more flexible in the reacting to situations outside the curriculum). 
Diversity of the exercises 
The students in the 5th–6th grade and in the7th–8th grade get two tasksheets relevant to their 
knowledge. These tasksheets do not demand the reproduction of the knowledge typical in D. Gurka 
84 
primary school testpapers, but the creative use of mathematical terms outside curriculum. At 
the beginning of the competition each group has to fill in a 13 + 1 quiz question sheet about 
Gyula Farkas’s life. The playfulness of the competition and the mobilisation of the multiform 
creativity is encouraged by the performance of a short play. The teams make and exhibit 
drawings, watercolours and collage an a pre given topic beforehand and these can be seen 
before and during the competition. The 10–15 minute, which is based on a preset theme, is 
directed by the students and preformed between the two rounds of the competition. Pongrác 
Kacsóh, who took his doctorate at Gyula Farkas, composed music for Petőfi’s János vitéz 
epic poem. The jury also evaluates these performances. 
Direct connection between the universal-scientific sphere and the primary school 
The teachers at the primary school and the university lecturers make the preparations for the 
competition together. Thus the lecturers can follow the basic scientific terms of knowledge of 
students and can perceive the one sidedness of primary school coursebooks (being stuck to 
patterns or distortion of certain terms e.g.: in case of the concepts of work or energy). The 
primary school students can get a notion of a different point of view in an informal way and 
they can experience that the terms used in scientific thinking can be reflected and cab be 
thought over. The presence of the university lecturers and researchers as private people and 
voluntary the helps entails the productive operation of the network of personal relationships 
several institutions (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest University of Technology and 
Economics, College of Nyíregyháza) and disciplines (mathematics, physics, history of 
science and philosophy) take part in the organisation of the competition, and organizers and 
members of juries of other competitions take part or took part in this process. Thus students 
can get a wider scale of information, which can help then in career orientation. (The direct 
helping touch with the universities can be seen only in few examples now, but hopefully it 
will contribute to the general growth in the number of future graduates.) 
The growth of the operation area of the organizing school 
The Gyula Farkas Primary School in Sárosd joined directly into the fostering of the Farkas 
traditions became determining in the school’s image. The new name of the institution, the 
memorial plate dedicated to the eponym strengthens the cohesion of the institutions, at the 
same time the board of teachers and the lenders of the school are present at scientific events 
related to eponym. Their delegation took part at the conference at the Babes-Bolyai 
University and they donated a painting of Gyula Farkas for the university, which is placed in 
the hall named after him. The costs of the publishing of the book Farkas Gyula élete és 
munkássága (eng. Gyula Farkas’ life and work) [9] were mostly covered by the financial 
benefit from the county authorities for the primary school in Sárosd. 
THE PLACE OF THE GYULA FARKAS MEMORIAL COMPETITION 
AMONG THE HUNGARIAN SCIENTIFIC COMPETITIONS 
In Hungary the secondary school competitions have a longer history and among these tue the 
mathematics competitions have a traditionally important role. The KÖMÁL (shorthand for 
Secondary School Mathematics Journal) has been carrying out a mission in taking care of 
talented students since 1912, and many of the prize-winners (who have been recorded since 
1926) have later become internationally noted like the mathematician Pál Erdős and the 
Wolf-prize winner László Lovász but also the philosopher of science Imre Lakatos, the 
Nobel-prize winner economist János Harsányi. The Gyula Farkas memorial competition in the context of the Hungarian scientific competitions 
85 
The most important focus point of these competitions is problemsolving, which has 
traditionally been emphasized in Hungarian education of mathematics, too. This concept 
gives the background to György Pólya’s book titled How to solve it?, which is the best 
known interpretation of his heuristical method. The Hungarian mathematical reforms in the 
1950s made a similar view significant. Tamás Varga, who developed the theoretical basis of 
the reform in the education of mathematics, together with László Kalmár and Rózsa Péter 
represented the empirical mathematical view, and originally all tree of them (together with 
Imre Lakatos) were Sándor Karácsonyi’s students at the University of Debrecen [10]. Certain 
elements of the empirical view can also be found in the works of Árpád Szabó, who is the most 
characteristic representative of the Hungarian research of history of mathematics [11]. 
This tradition in education and competitions put a significant effort on Hungarian 
mathematical and science competitions, too (such as the National Secondary School 
Competition or the Pál Bugát Natural Competition). New phenomena in the 1990s are those 
primary school competitions in mathematics, which became nationwide events organized by 
one single school, for example Ilona Zrínyi Competition in Kecskemét and the Bátaszék 
Competition in Mathematics. 
A common feature of the above listed competitions is that they work within the existing 
educational structure (which is true for the structure of competitions in higher education, too). 
The competition in Sárosd is not a nationwide one, it is a regional competition, but it is 
irregular in several ways. There are also university lecturers in the organisation and jury in 
the above mentioned secondary school and primary school competitions, but compared to 
these, the number of lecturers from universities is a lot higher at the Gyula Farkas Memorial 
Competitions. 
The place of the Gyula Farkas Memorial Competition is not defined by the number of 
participants or its importance in the structure of competitions in Hungary, but by its focused 
character, which comes from the cooperation of the local authorities, the public educational 
authorities and the higher educational spheres. Its true importance is in its value being an 
example it gives a model for recognizing and keeping the local traditions and how these can 
be connected to the propagation of relevant knowledge informally and taking care of the 
talented students in a way which encourages competitive skills. 
REMARKS 
1László Filep found the then living relatives of Farkas in the 1970s, according to whose 
memories Gyula Farkas was corresponding with Einstein. 
2András Prékopa writes about the rediscovery of the articles this way: Albert W. Tucker was 
working on one of the proofs of the nonlinear programming with his Ph.D. student Harold W. 
Kuhn. They got stuck and they aleded the results in connection with the linear inequalities. 
Tucker sent his student down to the library to search and Kuhn found Gyula Farkas’s article 
then, which contained exactly what they need. 
REFERENCES 
[1]  Prékopa, A.: On the development of optimization theory. 
American Mathematical Monthly 87, 527–542, 1980, 
[2]  Farkas, G.: The Use of the Fourier-Theory in the Mechanics. In Hungarian. 
Matematikai és Természettudományi Értesítő 12, 457–472, 1894, 
[3]  Farkas, J.: Theory of Simple Inequalities. In German. 
Journal für Mathematik 124(1), 1–27, 1902, D. Gurka 
86 
[4]  Martinas, K. and Brodszky, I.: Thermodynamics of Gyula Farkas – a new (old) approach 
to entropy. 
Periodica Polytechnica 44, 17–27, 2000, 
[5]  Filep, L.: Gyula Farkas’ life and work. Ph.D. Thesis. 
Debrecen, 1977, 
[6]  Prékopa, A.: Gyula Farkas’ life and the importance of his work in the theory of 
optimalization. In Hungarian. 
In Komlósi, S. and Szántai, T., eds.: Alternative Ways in Hungarian Operation Research. Dialóg 
Campus, Budapest–Pécs, 15–31, 1999, 
[7]  Brentjes, S.: Linear optimalisation. 
In Grattan-Guinness, I., ed.: Companion Encyclopediae of the Mathemathical Sciences II. 
London, 828–833, 1994, 
[8]  Komlósi, S. and Szántai, T., eds.: Alternative Ways in Hungarian Operation Research. In 
Hungarian. 
Dialóg Campus, Budapest–Pécs, 15–31, 1999, 
[9]  Martinás, K., ed.: Gyula Farkas’ life and work. In Hungarian. 
Eötvös Loránd Fizikai Társulat Termodinamikai Szakcsoportja, Budapest, 2003, 
[10] Gurka, D.: A Missing Link: The Influence of László Kalmár’s Empirical view on 
Lakatos’s Philosophy of Mathematics. 
Perspectives on Science 14(3), 263–281, 2006, 
[11] Máté, A.: Árpád Szabó and Imre Lakatos, or the Relation Between History and 
Philosophy of Mathematics. 
Perspectives on Science 14(3), 282–301, 2006. 
THE GYULA FARKAS MEMORIAL COMPETITION 
IN THE CONTEXT OF THE HUNGARIAN 
SCIENTIFIC COMPETITIONS 
D. Gurka
Institut za pedagogiju i sociologiju, Sveučilište sv. Ivana 
Sarvaš, Madžarska 
SAŽETAK 
Gyula Farkas (1847-1931) postao je poznati znanstvenik svog vremena zbog dostignuća u termodinamici. U 
današnje vrijeme – nakon ponovnog otkrivanja njegovih članaka tijekom 1950-ih godina – smatra ga se 
začetnikom operacijskih istraživanja. Prigodom 150. obljetnice njegovog rođenja njegovo ime postalo je poznato 
izvan znanstvenih krugova. 
U ovom radu ukratko je opisan njegov životni put. Težište je stavljeno na psotignućža koja su omogućila 
suvremeni okvir za učinkovito uvođenje mlađih generacija u svijet znanosti, a posebno znanstvene metodologije i 
interdisciplinarnih pristupa. 
KLJUČNE RIJEČI 
Gyula Farkas, prirodne znanosti, termodinamika, natjecanja iz znanosti 

A Missing Link: The Influence of László Kalmár’s Empirical view on

ed.: Gyula Farkas’ life and work.

eds.: Alternative Ways in Hungarian Operation Research.

Gyula Farkas’ life and the importance of his work in the theory of optimalization. In Hungarian.

Linear optimalisation.

On the development of optimization theory.

or the Relation Between History and Philosophy of Mathematics.

The Use of the Fourier-Theory in the Mechanics.

Theory of Simple Inequalities. In German.

Thermodynamics of Gyula Farkas – a new (old) approach to entropy.

The Gyula Farkas memorial competition in the context of the Hungarian scientific competitions

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