Page "David Hilbert" Paragraph 59

Throughout this immersion in physics, Hilbert worked on putting rigor into the mathematics of physics.

While highly dependent on higher math, physicists tended to be " sloppy " with it.

To a " pure " mathematician like Hilbert, this was both " ugly " and difficult to understand.

As he began to understand physics and how physicists were using mathematics, he developed a coherent mathematical theory for what he found, most importantly in the area of integral equations.

When his colleague Richard Courant wrote the now classic Methods of Mathematical Physics including some of Hilbert's ideas, he added Hilbert's name as author even though Hilbert had not directly contributed to the writing.

Hilbert said " Physics is too hard for physicists ", implying that the necessary mathematics was generally beyond them ; the Courant-Hilbert book made it easier for them.