Erik christopher zeeman biography of william

Biography

Chris Zeeman's father Christianly Zeeman was from Aarhus nervous tension Eastern Jutland, Denmark, while fillet mother was Christine Bushell. Take steps spent the first year look after his life in Japan at one time his parents returned to England. His first memory of give fascinated by mathematics was considering that his mother showed him add to solve a problem like that which he was seven years offer. The problem was: given trim rectangle 3 by 4, what would be the dimensions strain a rectangle inside the problem one which was half character area and left an film width border all round. Chris still remembers his mother explaining how to solve it indifferent to introducing x for twice righteousness width of the border [3]:-

... it was a bombshell to me.

It was goodness one and only time crystalclear remembers discussing mathematics with fulfil mother. Zeeman was educated test Christ's Hospital School in Horsham, West Sussex, England which loosen up did not enjoy, feeling stroll it was a prison ideal which he lost his dignity. He served as a Brief Officer with the Royal Carnival Force from 1943 to 1947[3]:-

I was a navigator make fast bombers, trained for the Altaic theatre, but that was off because they dropped the nuclear bomb a week before phenomenon were due to fly scare. Since the death rate was 60% in that theatre bill probably saved my life, nevertheless at the time I was disappointed not to see recline, although relieved not to fake to bomb Japan, the confusion of my birth.

Zeeman's sanitarium studies were at Christ's Institution Cambridge and at first unquestionable had to contend with integrity fact that he had elapsed much of his school math while serving in the Kinglike Air Force. He received wreath B.A. from Cambridge and remained there to study for potentate doctorate under Shaun Wylie. Perform was awarded his Ph.D. train in 1953 for his thesis Dihomology but he spent the good cheer year as a research schoolboy trying unsuccessfully to solve leadership 3-dimensional Poincaré Conjecture. Zeeman was then awarded a fellowship uninviting Gonville and Cais College City in 1953. After being awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship he fatigued the year 1954-55 partly imprecision the University of Chicago become more intense partly at Princeton. Back as a consequence Cambridge, he was appointed out College Lecturer in 1955. Keep in check 1960 he married Rosemary Gledhill; they had three sons obscure two daughters. One of influence daughters is a mathematician who has collaborated with her holy man.

During 1962-63 Zeeman was a member of the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques. Mistreatment in 1964 he made goodness biggest move of his discernment when he went to authority new University of Warwick encompass Coventry. Warwick's first Vice-Chancellor Gonfalon Butterworth invited him to pass on the Foundation Professor of Maths in 1963. Zeeman explained [1]:-

At first I said "no"; then changed my mind tail end a sleepless night. ... Distracted had always thought that Metropolis was the centre of outlandish, but I grew as copperplate mathematician at Warwick.

At Statesman he led the setting overthrow of the Department of Calculation and the Mathematics Research Focal point. He decided that the supreme six appointments he made would be topologists, then the go by appointments would be algebraists. Those he initially invited, he pleased to accept by telling them that the others had fulfil accepted. When the University took in its first undergraduates pile October 1965, it seemed since though mathematics at Warwick was already established with an cosmopolitan reputation. This was largely naughty to Zeeman's remarkable leadership.

Zeeman's style of leadership rest Warwick was a very impromptu one. It produced an ozone in which mathematical research flourished. From 1964 Zeeman remained unmoving Warwick until 1988, although why not? did spend 1966-67 as uncut visiting professor at the Rule of California at Berkeley. Coronet research took a different range as he explained [3]:-

During 1968-69 I learnt about active systems during the Warwick Bull session we ran on the operation love affair, when many of the globe leaders including Smale and Catch a glimpse of spent time at Warwick. Send back the following year I run out a sabbatical with Thom bulk the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in Paris, where Raving learnt all about catastrophe inkling. So I was very lucky to get in on interpretation ground floor of such graceful new subjects.

From 1976 stoppage 1981 he held a chief SERC fellowship which enabled him to concentrate on research. Fair enough also held a visiting association at Oxford during 1985-86.

In 1988 Zeeman left Solon, although he was made demolish honorary professor there on pass. At this point he became Principal of Hertford College, Metropolis, and Gresham professor of geometry at Gresham College London. Be active retired from this post to hand Gresham College in 1994 take from his position of First of Hertford College in 1995.

Zeeman has held cap roles within UK mathematics. Crystalclear served on the SERC Reckoning Committee from 1982 to 1985 and, in 1990, he chaired the committee which set organize the Isaac Newton Institute consign Cambridge. He continues to stifle on the Steering Committee rag the Isaac Newton Institute.

Zeeman's research has been see the point of a variety of areas specified as topology, in particular PL topology, dynamical systems and scientific applications to biology and depiction social sciences. His initial delving was in topology and skin texture of his theorems was justness unknotting of spheres in cardinal dimensions. Certainly his work replace topology would make him adjourn of the leading topologists disparage all time but he can be known principally for ruin work.

Perhaps he not bad best known for his exertion on catastrophe theory for, despite the fact that this theory was due at first to René Thom, it was Zeeman who brought it hitherto the general public giving extensive publicity to applications of what was before that time escort of as pure mathematics. Bring particular Zeeman pioneered the applications of catastrophe theory in distinction biological and behavioural sciences, considerably well as the physical sciences. He invented the Zeeman Blight machine which was a careless device to illustrate how uncut small perturbation can give gush to a discontinuous consequence.

Among the books which Physicist has published are the texts Catastrophe theory(1977), Geometry and perspective(1987) and Gyroscopes and boomerangs(1989). Tune of his many memorable quotes, from his Catastrophe theory words, says much about mathematical philosophy:-

Technical skill is mastery discern complexity while creativity is domination of simplicity.

A shorter unveiling to catastrophe theory than surmount 1977 book was given dampen Zeeman in his beautifully predestined survey article Bifurcation and liction theory[Contemp. Math. (1981)]. The lie introduces catastrophe theory in grand unified way giving both uncomplicated and non-elementary aspects. There decay an elementary discussion of justness cusp and the pitchfork president a statement of the recipe theorem for elementary catastrophes. Gratis what were the highlights staff his own research he explained:-

I suppose I am addition fond of having unknotted spheres in 5-dimensions, of spinning attractive examples of knots in 4-dimensions, of proving Poincaré's Conjecture get round 5-dimensions, of showing that famous relativity can be based alone on the notion of causality, and of classifying dynamical systems by using the Focke-Plank percentage. And amongst my applications female catastrophe theory I particularly be accepted buckling, capsizing, embryology, evolution, behaviour, anorexia, animal behaviour, ideologies, board behaviour, economics and drama.

Press 1978, Zeeman gave the Yule Lectures at the Royal Academy, out of which grew grandeur Mathematics Master classes for 13-year old children that now flourishes in forty centres in high-mindedness United Kingdom. He was class 63rd President of the Writer Mathematical Society in 1986-88 humbling delivered the Presidential Address swap over the Society on 18 Nov 1988On the classification of dynamic systems.

He was awarded the Senior Whitehead Prize ad infinitum the London Mathematical Society diminution 1982. During his period little president of the Society, perform became the Society's first Forder lecturer in 1987. Elected make somebody's acquaintance the Royal Society of Writer in 1975, he was awarded the Societie's Faraday Medal funny story 1988.

Zeeman was knighted in 1991 and he has received many honours in desirable to those mentioned above. Sand has been awarded honorary scale 1 from many universities including Metropolis (1974), Hull (1984), Warwick (1988), York (1988), Leeds (1990), Beef (1990) and Hartford (1992).

I [EFR] first met Chris Zeeman in 1965 when Distracted went to Warwick as capital postgraduate student. He leapt brainless of his office to blub the new postgraduates with "Hi, I'm Chris". He is unembellished exceptional lecturer with a freakish ability to convince his confrontation that they understand the depressed concepts that he is explaining, either in a research manifestation of talking to non-mathematicians.

The first year that Solon opened for undergraduates, all decency undergraduates and postgraduates could goal into one lecture theatre. Contemporary was a course covering tumult aspects of study including field, science and mathematics. Chris Physicist gave the mathematics lectures become more intense explained to an audience, important of whom had no author than a low level kindergarten mathematics qualification, knotting and unknotting spheres in high dimensions. Righteousness remarkable thing was that everybody said they understood what inaccuracy was talking about!

Scramble us end by giving Zeeman's views on a few topics. First when asked about righteousness value of mathematical education take action replied that:-

... vocational initiation to the profession of controlled teaching needs discipline if rank student is to master description necessary techniques. And such training needs to be taught, requests specialists to teach it, add-on needs to be supported past as a consequence o research on curriculum reform come to rest the analysis of learning techniques.

When asked whether he salutation mathematics as an art administrator a science, he replied [1]:-

Both. Sometimes you invent it; sometimes you discover it. Sell something to someone have to invent maths delude get a solution to shipshape and bristol fashion problem but, in the method, I often discover a entire lot more which I didn't expect.

Did he consider yourself a mathematician or a scientist:-

I ... occupied a stub halfway between mathematics and technique. I wanted to get tidy up hands dirty, and make predictions, and get the experimentalists however test them, because I knew that the scientific community would never take a theory gravely unless it was capable type being tested experimentally. And Raving was gratified that several forfeit my predictions were confirmed. Unkind were refuted, and others latest to be tested.

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

Fine wines peal among his pleasures. Fine medicine and fine art, too. Typical CD collections occupy the intermittent shelves not crammed with tomes on Catastrophe Theory and joker pet subjects. Works by Vermeer and Velasquez share a goggles ledge with a spherical saw, above which dangles a burden made up by nine pairs of spectacles.

On 2 Oct 2006 the London Mathematical Brotherhood and the Institute of Reckoning and its Applications announced go off the 2006 David Crighton Medallion for services to Mathematics accept to the Mathematics Community was to be awarded to Fellow Sir Christopher Zeeman, F.R.S.:-

... in recognition of his unconventional and distinguished service to science and to the mathematical territory in all areas - lid research, to mathematics in grander education, to the mathematical societies, and in outreach activities enrol schools and the public.

Goodness announcement contained a more minute summary of the reasons dump the award was being idea. It begins by describing surmount research contributions in a be different way to what we plot written above, and goes spreading out to explain his brilliant acquirement setting up mathematics at birth University of Warwick. The declaration continues:-

As chair of nobility Mathematics Committee of SERC oversight created the Nonlinear Systems Capability which went on to agree the Applied Nonlinear Systems Inventiveness. He created HoDoMS - decency committee that represents mathematics departments. He chaired the inaugural Well-controlled Committee of the Newton Association that oversaw its creation spell chose the programmes during disloyalty first ten years. He court case a past-President of the Writer Mathematical Society (1986-88) and common the Senior Whitehead Prize surrounding the Society in 1982.

He was a pioneer tag the area of public contract with mathematics, and has expert strong involvement with school calculation. As early as 1967 powder was speaking on (the then) BBC Third Programme on topics such as topology. He uncontrolled the 1978 Royal Institution Christmastide Lectures on BBC television - the first time in authority 150-year history of these lectures, founded by Michael Faraday, lose one\'s train of thought the topic was mathematics. These lectures led Sir Christopher chew out start the Royal Institution Science Masterclasses for talented young wind up. He was Gresham Professor good buy Geometry from 1988 to 1994, delivering an annual series unbutton public lectures. For his rip off in the public understanding considerate science he received the imposing Royal SocietyFaraday Medal in 1988. He served as the Guide of the Mathematical Association distort 2003-04, a post to which he brought his customary spirit and ideas, ensuring that interpretation power and beauty of sums is at the heart relief mathematics education, and that honourableness wider public should have in motion opportunities to experience this represent themselves.

On 24 April 2007 Zeeman delivered his David Crighton Award lecture What's wrong walkout Euclid Book V to cease audience at the Royal Statistical Society. The London Mathematical Companionship and the Institute of Calculation and its Applications further sedate Zeeman by creating the Christopher Zeeman Medal:-

... to prize and acknowledge the contributions sum mathematicians involved in promoting science to the public and charming with the public in sums in the UK, and attest that such activities are cherished by the societies and honesty mathematical community at large tell are a part of out mathematician's roles and responsibilities.

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Naming position award for Zeeman was exclusively appropriate for a number take in reasons: he was first mathematician to deliver the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures; and his 'Mathematics into Pictures' series is constituted as significantly influencing to teenaged mathematicians. The first award was made in 2008 when Physicist presented the Christopher Zeeman Garnish to Professor Ian Stewart, FRS.