Brian Hartley
Encyclopedia
Brian Hartley was a British
Mathematician
specialising in group theory
.
Hartley's Ph.D. thesis was completed in 1964 at the University of Cambridge
under Philip Hall
's supervision. He spent a year at the University of Chicago
, and another at MIT before being appointed as a lecturer at the newly established University of Warwick
in 1966, and was promoted to reader in 1973. He moved to a chair at Manchester
in 1977 where he served as head of the Mathematics department between 1982 and 1984.
He published more than 100 papers, mostly on group theory, and collaborated widely with other mathematicians. His main interest was locally finite group
s where he used his wide knowledge of finite groups to prove properties of infinite group
s which shared some of the features of finite groups. One recurrent theme appearing in his work was the relationship between the structure of groups and their subgroups consisting of elements fixed by particular automorphisms.
Hartley is perhaps best known by undergraduates for his book Rings Modules and Linear Algebra, with Trevor Hawkes (ISBN 9780412098109).
Hartley was a keen hill walker, and it was while descending Helvellyn
in the English Lake District that he collapsed with a heart attack and died.
The 'Brian Hartley Room' at the School of Mathematics at Manchester is named in his honour.
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
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
specialising 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...
.
Hartley's Ph.D. thesis was completed in 1964 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...
under Philip Hall
Philip Hall
Philip Hall FRS , was an English mathematician.His major work was on group theory, notably on finite groups and solvable groups.-Biography:...
's supervision. He spent a year at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and another at MIT before being appointed as a lecturer at the newly established University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
in 1966, and was promoted to reader in 1973. He moved to a chair at 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 1977 where he served as head of the Mathematics department between 1982 and 1984.
He published more than 100 papers, mostly on group theory, and collaborated widely with other mathematicians. His main interest was locally finite group
Locally finite group
In mathematics, in the field of group theory, a locally finite group is a type of group that can be studied in ways analogous to a finite group. Sylow subgroups, Carter subgroups, and abelian subgroups of locally finite groups have been studied....
s where he used his wide knowledge of finite groups to prove properties of infinite group
Infinite group
In group theory, an area of mathematics, an infinite group is a group, of which the underlying set contains an infinite number of elements....
s which shared some of the features of finite groups. One recurrent theme appearing in his work was the relationship between the structure of groups and their subgroups consisting of elements fixed by particular automorphisms.
Hartley is perhaps best known by undergraduates for his book Rings Modules and Linear Algebra, with Trevor Hawkes (ISBN 9780412098109).
Hartley was a keen hill walker, and it was while descending Helvellyn
Helvellyn
Helvellyn is a mountain in the English Lake District, the apex of the Eastern Fells. At above sea level, it is the third highest peak in both the Lake District and England...
in the English Lake District that he collapsed with a heart attack and died.
The 'Brian Hartley Room' at the School of Mathematics at Manchester is named in his honour.