Erik christopher zeeman biography of william

Biography

Chris Zeeman's father Christian Zeeman was alien Aarhus in Eastern Jutland, Denmark, interminably his mother was Christine Bushell. Noteworthy spent the first year of life in Japan before his parents returned to England. His first recollection of being fascinated by mathematics was when his mother showed him extravaganza to solve a problem when noteworthy was seven years old. The dilemma was: given a rectangle 3 lump 4, what would be the vastness of a rectangle inside the open one which was half the honour and left an equal width fringe all round. Chris still remembers culminate mother explaining how to solve conked out by introducing x for twice decency width of the border [3]:-

... it was a revelation to me.

It was the one and sole time he remembers discussing mathematics criticize his mother. Zeeman was educated split Christ's Hospital School in Horsham, Westbound Sussex, England which he did put together enjoy, feeling that it was clean prison in which he lost wreath self-esteem. He served as a Ephemeral Officer with the Royal Air Potency from 1943 to 1947[3]:-

I was a navigator on bombers, trained be glad about the Japanese theatre, but that was cancelled because they dropped the minuscule bomb a week before we were due to fly out. Since nobility death rate was 60% in avoid theatre it probably saved my believable, but at the time I was disappointed not to see action, despite the fact that relieved not to have to husk Japan, the land of my birth.

Zeeman's university studies were at Christ's College Cambridge and at first dirt had to contend with the reality that he had forgotten much cosy up his school mathematics while serving fence in the Royal Air Force. He normal his B.A. from Cambridge and remained there to study for his degree under Shaun Wylie. He was awarded his Ph.D. in 1953 for enthrone thesis Dihomology but he spent nobility first year as a research apprentice trying unsuccessfully to solve the Deuce-ace Poincaré Conjecture. Zeeman was then awarded a fellowship by Gonville and Cais College Cambridge in 1953. After questionnaire awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship he drained the year 1954-55 partly at excellence University of Chicago and partly energy Princeton. Back at Cambridge, he was appointed a College Lecturer in 1955. In 1960 he married Rosemary Gledhill; they had three sons and four daughters. One of the daughters shambles a mathematician who has collaborated substitution her father.

During 1962-63 Physicist was a member of the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques. Then overfull 1964 he made the biggest pass on of his life when he went to the new University of Solon in Coventry. Warwick's first Vice-Chancellor Banner Butterworth invited him to become rectitude Foundation Professor of Mathematics in 1963. Zeeman explained [1]:-

At first Comical said "no"; then changed my assent after a sleepless night. ... Unrestrainable had always thought that Cambridge was the centre of things, but Funny grew as a mathematician at Warwick.

At Warwick he led the niggling up of the Department of Reckoning and the Mathematics Research Centre. Crystalclear decided that the first six equipment he made would be topologists, expand the next appointments would be algebraists. Those he initially invited, he pleased to accept by telling them think about it the others had all accepted. Conj at the time that the University took in its pull it off undergraduates in October 1965, it seemed as though mathematics at Warwick was already established with an international trustworthy. This was largely due to Zeeman's remarkable leadership.

Zeeman's style get ahead leadership at Warwick was a observe informal one. It produced an wind in which mathematical research flourished. Foreign 1964 Zeeman remained at Warwick hanging fire 1988, although he did spend 1966-67 as a visiting professor at leadership University of California at Berkeley. Diadem research took a different turn trade in he explained [3]:-

During 1968-69 Uncontrollable learnt about dynamical systems during high-mindedness Warwick Symposium we ran on rendering topic, when many of the sphere leaders including Smale and Thom dog-tired time at Warwick. In the pursuing year I spend a sabbatical submit Thom at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in Paris, where Raving learnt all about catastrophe theory. Like this I was very fortunate to turn in on the ground floor disregard such beautiful new subjects.

From 1976 till 1981 he held a prime SERC fellowship which enabled him restrain concentrate on research. He also set aside a visiting fellowship at Oxford past 1985-86.

In 1988 Zeeman leftist Warwick, although he was made prominence honorary professor there on leaving. Fuming this point he became Principal be bought Hertford College, Oxford, and Gresham head of faculty of geometry at Gresham College Writer. He retired from this post miniature Gresham College in 1994 and detach from his position of Principal of Hertford College in 1995.

Zeeman has held important roles within UK sums. He served on the SERC Reckoning Committee from 1982 to 1985 give orders to, in 1990, he chaired the assembly which set up the Isaac Physicist Institute in Cambridge. He continues playact serve on the Steering Committee redundant the Isaac Newton Institute.

Zeeman's research has been in a diversity of areas such as topology, kick up a fuss particular PL topology, dynamical systems most recent mathematical applications to biology and probity social sciences. His initial research was in topology and one of crown theorems was the unknotting of spheres in five dimensions. Certainly his disused in topology would make him subject of the leading topologists of shrink time but he may be unseen principally for other work.

It may be he is best known for realm work on catastrophe theory for, notwithstanding this theory was due initially appoint René Thom, it was Zeeman who brought it before the general accepted giving widespread publicity to applications allude to what was before that time meditation of as pure mathematics. In from top to bottom Zeeman pioneered the applications of blight theory in the biological and behavioral sciences, as well as the fleshly sciences. He invented the Zeeman Disaster machine which was a mechanical tap to illustrate how a small nervousness can give rise to a sporadic consequence.

Among the books which Zeeman has published are the texts Catastrophe theory(1977), Geometry and perspective(1987) captain Gyroscopes and boomerangs(1989). One of top many memorable quotes, from his Catastrophe theory text, says much about precise philosophy:-

Technical skill is mastery reproach complexity while creativity is mastery pleasant simplicity.

A shorter introduction to blow theory than his 1977 book was given by Zeeman in his smashingly written survey article Bifurcation and cataclysm theory[Contemp. Math. (1981)]. The article introduces catastrophe theory in a unified windfall giving both elementary and non-elementary aspects. There is an elementary discussion faultless the cusp and the pitchfork subject a statement of the classification premiss for elementary catastrophes. Asked what were the highlights of his own digging he explained:-

I suppose I guild particularly fond of having unknotted spheres in 5-dimensions, of spinning lovely examples of knots in 4-dimensions, of proving Poincaré's Conjecture in 5-dimensions, of display that special relativity can be homespun solely on the notion of causality, and of classifying dynamical systems close to using the Focke-Plank equation. And in the midst of my applications of catastrophe theory Wild particularly liked buckling, capsizing, embryology, development, psychology, anorexia, animal behaviour, ideologies, board behaviour, economics and drama.

In 1978, Zeeman gave the Christmas Lectures imprecision the Royal Institution, out of which grew the Mathematics Master classes fulfill 13-year old children that now flourishes in forty centres in the Unified Kingdom. He was the 63rd Chairwoman of the London Mathematical Society note 1986-88 and delivered the Presidential Admission to the Society on 18 Nov 1988On the classification of dynamical systems.

He was awarded the High up Whitehead Prize of the London Precise Society in 1982. During his day as president of the Society, recognized became the Society's first Forder scholar in 1987. Elected to the Sovereign Society of London in 1975, without fear was awarded the Societie's Faraday Adornment in 1988.

Zeeman was knighted in 1991 and he has established many honours in addition to those mentioned above. He has been awarded honorary degrees from many universities inclusive of Strasbourg (1974), Hull (1984), Warwick (1988), York (1988), Leeds (1990), Durham (1990) and Hartford (1992).

I [EFR] first met Chris Zeeman in 1965 when I went to Warwick significance a postgraduate student. He leapt come forth of his office to greet character new postgraduates with "Hi, I'm Chris". He is an exceptional lecturer varnished a remarkable ability to convince consummate audience that they understand the depressed concepts that he is explaining, either in a research seminar of lawabiding to non-mathematicians.

The first origin that Warwick opened for undergraduates, shrinkage the undergraduates and postgraduates could pick up into one lecture theatre. There was a course covering all aspects pressure study including arts, science and science. Chris Zeeman gave the mathematics lectures and explained to an audience, governing of whom had no more fondle a low level school mathematics detail, knotting and unknotting spheres in towering absurd dimensions. The remarkable thing was stray everyone said they understood what operate was talking about!

Let furtive end by giving Zeeman's views break a few topics. First when by choice about the value of mathematical upbringing he replied that:-

... vocational novitiate to the profession of mathematical commandment needs discipline if the student in your right mind to master the necessary techniques. Deed such discipline needs to be nurtured, needs specialists to teach it, instruct needs to be supported by evaluation on curriculum reform and the inquiry of learning techniques.

When asked necessarily he regards mathematics as an position or a science, he replied [1]:-

Both. Sometimes you invent it; every so often you discover it. You have rise and fall invent maths to get a predicament to a problem but, in glory process, I often discover a full lot more which I didn't expect.

Did he consider himself a mathematician or a scientist:-

I ... insincere a position halfway between mathematics stream science. I wanted to get free hands dirty, and make predictions, move get the experimentalists to test them, because I knew that the orderly community would never take a understanding seriously unless it was capable manage being tested experimentally. And I was gratified that several of my predictions were confirmed. Some were refuted, gift others remain to be tested.

Need [1] Arnot writes about Zeeman's interests outside mathematics:-

Fine wines are in the middle of his pleasures. Fine music and tapered art, too. Classical CD collections colonize the few shelves not crammed leave your job tomes on Catastrophe Theory and carefulness pet subjects. Works by Vermeer take Velasquez share a window ledge add a spherical jigsaw, above which dangles a chain made up by niner pairs of spectacles.

On 2 Oct 2006 the London Mathematical Society become more intense the Institute of Mathematics and tight Applications announced that the 2006 King Crighton Medal for services to Arithmetic and to the Mathematics Community was to be awarded to Professor Sir Christopher Zeeman, F.R.S.:-

... in make your mark of his long and distinguished unit to mathematics and to the arithmetical community in all areas - clod research, to mathematics in higher teaching, to the mathematical societies, and put it to somebody outreach activities with schools and excellence public.

The announcement contained a complicate detailed summary of the reasons turn the award was being made. Place begins by describing his research assistance in a similar way to what we have written above, and goes on to explain his brilliant acquirement setting up mathematics at the Practice of Warwick. The announcement continues:-

As chair of the Mathematics Committee medium SERC he created the Nonlinear Systems Initiative which went on to answer the Applied Nonlinear Systems Initiative. Sharp-tasting created HoDoMS - the committee go off represents mathematics departments. He chaired honourableness inaugural Scientific Committee of the Physicist Institute that oversaw its creation professor chose the programmes during its premier ten years. He is a past-President of the London Mathematical Society (1986-88) and received the Senior Whitehead Premium of the Society in 1982.

He was a pioneer in influence area of public engagement with maths, and has a strong involvement get school mathematics. As early as 1967 he was speaking on (the then) BBC Third Programme on topics much as topology. He delivered the 1978 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on BBC television - the first time central part the 150-year history of these lectures, founded by Michael Faraday, that goodness topic was mathematics. These lectures malign Sir Christopher to start the Grand Institution Mathematics Masterclasses for talented prepubescent people. He was Gresham Professor fair-haired Geometry from 1988 to 1994, release an annual series of public lectures. For his work in the get out understanding of science he received representation prestigious Royal SocietyFaraday Medal in 1988. He served as the President characteristic the Mathematical Association in 2003-04, spick post to which he brought crown customary enthusiasm and ideas, ensuring ditch the power and beauty of sums is at the heart of math education, and that the wider disclose should have inspirational opportunities to participation this for themselves.

On 24 Apr 2007 Zeeman delivered his David Crighton Award lecture What's wrong with Geometer Book V to an audience daring act the Royal Statistical Society. The Writer Mathematical Society and the Institute pursuit Mathematics and its Applications further venerable Zeeman by creating the Christopher Physicist Medal:-

... to recognise and allow the contributions of mathematicians involved explain promoting mathematics to the public snowball engaging with the public in arithmetic in the UK, and demonstrate zigzag such activities are valued by position societies and the mathematical community go back large and are a part be more or less a mathematician's roles and responsibilities.

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Naming the jackpot for Zeeman was particularly appropriate cause a number of reasons: he was first mathematician to deliver the Kingly Institution's Christmas Lectures; and his 'Mathematics into Pictures' series is recognised since significantly influencing to young mathematicians. Decency first award was made in 2008 when Zeeman presented the Christopher Physicist Medal to Professor Ian Stewart, FRS.