Joseph Ritt
Encyclopedia
Joseph Fels Ritt was an American mathematician
at Columbia University
in the early 20th century.
After beginning his undergraduate studies at City College of New York
, Ritt received his B.A. from George Washington University
in 1913. He then earned a doctorate in mathematics from Columbia University in 1917 under the supervision of Edward Kasner
. After doing calculations for the war effort in World War I
, he joined the Columbia faculty in 1921. He served as department chair from 1942 to 1945, and in 1945 became the Davies Professor of Mathematics. In 1932, George Washington University honored him with a Doctorate in Science, and in 1933 he was elected to join the United States National Academy of Sciences
. He has 463 academic descendants
listed in the Mathematics Genealogy Project
, mostly through his student Ellis Kolchin
.
He is known for his work on characterizing the indefinite integrals that can be solved in closed form, for his work on the theory of ordinary differential equation
s and partial differential equation
s, for beginning the study of differential algebraic group
s, and for the method of characteristic set
s used in the solution of systems of polynomial equations.
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....
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in the early 20th century.
After beginning his undergraduate studies at City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, Ritt received his B.A. from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in 1913. He then earned a doctorate in mathematics from Columbia University in 1917 under the supervision of Edward Kasner
Edward Kasner
Edward Kasner who studied under Cassius Jackson Keyser, was a prominent American mathematician who was appointed Tutor on Mathematics in the Columbia University Mathematics Department...
. After doing calculations for the war effort in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he joined the Columbia faculty in 1921. He served as department chair from 1942 to 1945, and in 1945 became the Davies Professor of Mathematics. In 1932, George Washington University honored him with a Doctorate in Science, and in 1933 he was elected to join the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The 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...
. He has 463 academic descendants
Academic genealogy
An academic, or scientific, genealogy, organizes a family tree of scientists and scholars according to dissertation supervision relationships....
listed in the Mathematics Genealogy Project
Mathematics Genealogy Project
The Mathematics Genealogy Project is a web-based database for the academic genealogy of mathematicians. As of September, 2010, it contained information on approximately 145,000 mathematical scientists who contribute to "research-level mathematics"...
, mostly through his student Ellis Kolchin
Ellis Kolchin
Ellis Robert Kolchin was an American mathematician at Columbia University. Kolchin earned a doctorate in mathematics from Columbia University in 1941 under supervision of Joseph Ritt...
.
He is known for his work on characterizing the indefinite integrals that can be solved in closed form, for his work on the theory of ordinary differential equation
Ordinary differential equation
In mathematics, an ordinary differential equation is a relation that contains functions of only one independent variable, and one or more of their derivatives with respect to that variable....
s and partial differential equation
Partial differential equation
In mathematics, partial differential equations are a type of differential equation, i.e., a relation involving an unknown function of several independent variables and their partial derivatives with respect to those variables...
s, for beginning the study of differential algebraic group
Differential algebraic group
In mathematics, a differential algebraic group is a differential algebraic variety with a compatible group structure. Differential algebraic groups were introduced by ....
s, and for the method of characteristic set
Characteristic set
Wenjun Wu's method is an algorithm for solving multivariate polynomial equations introduced in the late 1970s by the Chinese mathematician Wen-Tsun Wu. This method is based on the mathematical concept of characteristic set introduced in the late 1940s by J.F. Ritt...
s used in the solution of systems of polynomial equations.