F. Burton Jones
Encyclopedia
F. Burton Jones was an American
mathematician
, active mainly in topology
.
Jones's father was a pharmacist and local politician in Shackelford County, Texas
. As the valedictorian
of his high school class, Jones earned a Regents' Scholarship to The University of Texas
, intending to study law eventually. Jones soon discovered that he had a poor memory for dates and history, and thus changed his major to chemistry
.
Jones had the extraordinary good fortune to be taught freshman calculus by Robert Lee Moore
, a founder of topology in the USA, a legendary mathematics teacher, and the inventor of the Moore method
. Jones went on to take more mathematics courses than required to be a chemist. He displayed sufficient ability in those courses that when he graduated in 1932, Moore invited him to do a Ph.D. in mathematics and offered him a part-time job as a math instructor. Moore later supervised Jones's Ph.D. dissertation, completed in 1935.
Jones then taught at the University of Texas for the next 15 years except during 1942-44, when he was a Research Associate at the Harvard Underwater Sound Laboratory, helping develop scanning sonar for the Navy. In 1950, Jones moved to the University of North Carolina
, where he eventually headed the Department of Mathematics. From 1962 until his 1978 retirement, he was at the University of California at Riverside, where he helped launch the doctoral program in mathematics. Over the course of his career, Jones published 67 articles and supervised 15 Ph.D. dissertations. In 1987, he endowed a Chair in Topology at the University of California at Riverside.
Jones taught using a modified version of the Moore method
. He believed in "learning by doing" but unlike Moore, he incorporated textbooks into his courses. In 1969, Louis McAuley wrote that "the magical powers of Jones in the classroom-a master-who breathes the very life of mathematics into his students."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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....
, active mainly in topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
.
Jones's father was a pharmacist and local politician in Shackelford County, Texas
Shackelford County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,302 people, 1,300 households, and 941 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were 1,613 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
. As the valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his high school class, Jones earned a Regents' Scholarship to The University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, intending to study law eventually. Jones soon discovered that he had a poor memory for dates and history, and thus changed his major to chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
.
Jones had the extraordinary good fortune to be taught freshman calculus by Robert Lee Moore
Robert Lee Moore
Robert Lee Moore was an American mathematician, known for his work in general topology and the Moore method of teaching university mathematics.-Life:...
, a founder of topology in the USA, a legendary mathematics teacher, and the inventor of the Moore method
Moore method
The Moore method is a deductive manner of instruction used in advanced mathematics courses. It is named after Robert Lee Moore, a famous topologist who first used a stronger version of the method at the University of Pennsylvania when he began teaching there in 1911.The way the course is conducted...
. Jones went on to take more mathematics courses than required to be a chemist. He displayed sufficient ability in those courses that when he graduated in 1932, Moore invited him to do a Ph.D. in mathematics and offered him a part-time job as a math instructor. Moore later supervised Jones's Ph.D. dissertation, completed in 1935.
Jones then taught at the University of Texas for the next 15 years except during 1942-44, when he was a Research Associate at the Harvard Underwater Sound Laboratory, helping develop scanning sonar for the Navy. In 1950, Jones moved to the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, where he eventually headed the Department of Mathematics. From 1962 until his 1978 retirement, he was at the University of California at Riverside, where he helped launch the doctoral program in mathematics. Over the course of his career, Jones published 67 articles and supervised 15 Ph.D. dissertations. In 1987, he endowed a Chair in Topology at the University of California at Riverside.
Jones taught using a modified version of the Moore method
Moore method
The Moore method is a deductive manner of instruction used in advanced mathematics courses. It is named after Robert Lee Moore, a famous topologist who first used a stronger version of the method at the University of Pennsylvania when he began teaching there in 1911.The way the course is conducted...
. He believed in "learning by doing" but unlike Moore, he incorporated textbooks into his courses. In 1969, Louis McAuley wrote that "the magical powers of Jones in the classroom-a master-who breathes the very life of mathematics into his students."
External links
- Rogers, James T. Jr, 2000, "F. Burton Jones (1910 - 1999) - An Appreciation." Includes a complete list of Jones's publications, and a brief summary of four of Jones's papers.