Bernhard Neumann
Encyclopedia
Bernhard Hermann Neumann AC FRS (15 October 1909, Berlin
, Germany
20 October 2002, Canberra
, Australia
) was a German
-born British
mathematician who was one of the leading figures in group theory
, greatly influencing the direction of the subject.
He earned a PhD
at the University of Cambridge
in 1935 and a Doctor of Science
at the University of Manchester
in 1954. His students included Gilbert Baumslag
, László Kovács, Michael Newman, and James Wiegold
. His wife, Hanna Neumann
, and son, Peter M. Neumann
, are also notable for their contributions to group theory.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1959.
In 1994 Bernard Neumann was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia
(AC).
The group-theoretic notion of HNN extension
(where HNN stands for Higman-Neumann-Neumann) is named in (second) part after him.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
20 October 2002, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mathematician who was one of the leading figures in group theory
Group theory
In mathematics and abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as groups.The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as rings, fields, and vector spaces can all be seen as groups endowed with additional operations and...
, greatly influencing the direction of the subject.
He earned a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1935 and a Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
at the University of Manchester
School of Mathematics, University of Manchester
The School of Mathematics at the University of Manchester is one of the largest mathematics departments in the United Kingdom, with around 80 academic staff and an undergraduate intake of roughly 400 a year and another 200 postgraduate students...
in 1954. His students included Gilbert Baumslag
Gilbert Baumslag
Gilbert Baumslag is a Distinguished Professor at the City College of New York, with joint appointments in mathematics, computer science, and electrical engineering. He is director of the Center for Algorithms and Interactive Scientific Software, which grew out of the MAGNUS computational group...
, László Kovács, Michael Newman, and James Wiegold
James Wiegold
Professor James "Jim" Wiegold was a Welsh mathematician. He earned a PhD at the University of Manchester in 1958, studying under Bernhard Neumann, and is most notable for his contributions to group theory.-Career:...
. His wife, Hanna Neumann
Hanna Neumann
Johanna Neumann was a German-born mathematician who worked on group theory.Johanna was born in Lankwitz, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. She attended Auguste-Viktoria-Schule and the University of Berlin and completed her studies in 1936 with distinctions in mathematics and physics. She began...
, and son, Peter M. Neumann
Peter M. Neumann
Peter Michael Neumann OBE is a British mathematician. He is the son of the mathematicians Bernhard Neumann and Hanna Neumann and, after gaining a B.A. from The Queen's College, Oxford in 1963, obtained his D.Phil from Oxford University in 1966...
, are also notable for their contributions to group theory.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1959.
In 1994 Bernard Neumann was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AC).
The group-theoretic notion of HNN extension
HNN extension
In mathematics, the HNN extension is a basic construction of combinatorial group theory.Introduced in a 1949 paper Embedding Theorems for Groups by Graham Higman, B. H...
(where HNN stands for Higman-Neumann-Neumann) is named in (second) part after him.
Career
- Assistant Lecturer, University College, CardiffCardiff UniversityCardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
, 1937–40. - Army Service, 1940–45.
- Lecturer, University College, Hull, (now University of HullUniversity of HullThe University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
), 1946–48 - Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader, ManchesterSchool of Mathematics, University of ManchesterThe School of Mathematics at the University of Manchester is one of the largest mathematics departments in the United Kingdom, with around 80 academic staff and an undergraduate intake of roughly 400 a year and another 200 postgraduate students...
, 1948–61 - Professor and Head of Department of Mathematics, Institute of Advanced Studies, ANUAustralian National UniversityThe Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, 1962–74; Emeritus Professor, 1975–2002. - Senior Research Fellow, CSIRO Division of Mathematics and Statistics, 1975–77; Honorary Research Fellow, 1978–99.