Gilbert Strang
Encyclopedia
William Gilbert Strang usually known as simply Gilbert Strang or Gil Strang, is a renowned American
mathematician
, with contributions to finite element theory, the calculus of variations
, wavelet analysis and linear algebra
. He has made many contributions to mathematics
education, including publishing seven classic mathematics textbooks and one definitive monograph
. Strang is a MathWorks Professor of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He teaches Introduction to Linear Algebra
and Computational Science and Engineering and his lectures are freely available through MIT OpenCourseWare
.
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....
, with contributions to finite element theory, the calculus of variations
Calculus of variations
Calculus of variations is a field of mathematics that deals with extremizing functionals, as opposed to ordinary calculus which deals with functions. A functional is usually a mapping from a set of functions to the real numbers. Functionals are often formed as definite integrals involving unknown...
, wavelet analysis and linear algebra
Linear algebra
Linear algebra is a branch of mathematics that studies vector spaces, also called linear spaces, along with linear functions that input one vector and output another. Such functions are called linear maps and can be represented by matrices if a basis is given. Thus matrix theory is often...
. He has made many contributions to mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
education, including publishing seven classic mathematics textbooks and one definitive monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
. Strang is a MathWorks Professor of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He teaches Introduction to Linear Algebra
Linear algebra
Linear algebra is a branch of mathematics that studies vector spaces, also called linear spaces, along with linear functions that input one vector and output another. Such functions are called linear maps and can be represented by matrices if a basis is given. Thus matrix theory is often...
and Computational Science and Engineering and his lectures are freely available through MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to put all of the educational materials from its undergraduate- and graduate-level courses online, partly free and openly available to anyone, anywhere. MIT OpenCourseWare is a large-scale, web-based publication of...
.
Education
- S. B, 1955, MIT
- B. A., M. A., 1957, Rhodes Scholar, Balliol CollegeBalliol College, OxfordBalliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096... - Ph. D., National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Fellow, 1959, University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los AngelesThe University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. Dissertation: "Difference Methods for Mixed Boundary Value ProblemsBoundary value problemIn mathematics, in the field of differential equations, a boundary value problem is a differential equation together with a set of additional restraints, called the boundary conditions...
"
University positions
- Professor of Mathematics, MIT (1962–)
- Honorary Fellow, Balliol College, OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
Awards and honors
- Rhodes Scholar (1952)
- Alfred P. Sloan FellowSloan FellowsThe Sloan Fellows program is a mid-career master's degree in general management and leadership supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. It is targeted at experienced managers who have already demonstrated a significant degree of career success . Alfred P...
(1966–1967) - Chauvenet PrizeChauvenet PrizeThe Chauvenet Prize is the highest award for mathematical expository writing. It consists of a prize of $1,000 and a certificate, and is awarded yearly by the Mathematical Association of America in recognition of an outstanding expository article on a mathematical topic. The prize is named in...
, Mathematical Association of AmericaMathematical Association of AmericaThe Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure and applied mathematicians; computer scientists;...
(1976) - Honorary Professor, Xian Jiaotong University, China (1980)
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1985)
- Honorary Fellow, Balliol College, Oxford University (1999)
- Honorary Member, Irish Mathematical Society (2002)
- Award for Distinguished Service to the Profession, Society for Industrial and Applied MathematicsSociety for Industrial and Applied MathematicsThe Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics was founded by a small group of mathematicians from academia and industry who met in Philadelphia in 1951 to start an organization whose members would meet periodically to exchange ideas about the uses of mathematics in industry. This meeting led...
(2003) - Von Neumann Medal, US Association for Computational Mechanics (2005)
- Haimo Prize, Mathematical Association of America (2006)
- Su Buchin Prize, International Congress (ICIAM, 2007)
- Henrici Prize (2007)
- National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
(2009) - Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Toulouse (2010)
Service
- President, Society for Industrial and Applied MathematicsSociety for Industrial and Applied MathematicsThe Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics was founded by a small group of mathematicians from academia and industry who met in Philadelphia in 1951 to start an organization whose members would meet periodically to exchange ideas about the uses of mathematics in industry. This meeting led...
(1999, 2000) - Chair, U.S. National Committee on Mathematics (2003–2004)
- Chair, National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
(NSF) Advisory Panel on Mathematics - Board Member, International Council for Industrial and Applied MathematicsInternational Council for Industrial and Applied MathematicsThe International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics is a worldwide organisation for professional applied mathematics societies, and for other societies with a significant interest in industrial or applied mathematics...
(ICIAM) - Abel PrizeAbel PrizeThe Abel Prize is an international prize presented annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. The prize is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel . It has often been described as the "mathematician's Nobel prize" and is among the most prestigious...
Committee (2003–2005)
Books and monographs
- Computational Science and Engineering (2007)
- Linear Algebra, Geodesy, and GPS, with Kai Borre (1997)
- Wavelets and Filter Banks, with Truong Nguyen (1996)
- Introduction to Linear Algebra (1993, 1998, 2003, 2009)
- Calculus (1991, 2010)
- Linear Algebra and Its Applications (1976, 1980, 1988, 2005)
- An Analysis of the Finite Element Method, with George FixGeorge FixGeorge J. Fix was an American mathematician who collaborated on several seminal papers and books in the field of finite element method. In addition to his work in mathematics, Fix was a beer and homebrewing enthusiast and educator, as well as the author of several books about brewing...
(1973, 2008)
See also
- The Joint spectral radiusJoint spectral radiusIn mathematics, the joint spectral radius is a generalization of the classical notion of spectral radius of a matrix, to sets of matrices. In recent years this notion has found applications in a large number of engineering fields and is still a topic of active research.-General description:The...
, introduced by Strang in the early 60s. - The Strang–Fix condition for accuracy of approximation.
External links
- Gilbert Strang's Home Page at MIT
- International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics: ICIAM
- Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics: SIAM
- Linear Algebra video lectures by Gilbert Strang, recorded in Fall of 1999
- Highlights of Calculus video lectures by Gilbert Strang on OCW
- Highlights of Calculus video lectures by Gilbert Strang on YouTube
- Mathematical Methods for Engineers I video lectures by Gilbert Strang
- Mathematical Methods for Engineers II video lectures by Gilbert Strang