Peter Henrici (mathematician)
Encyclopedia
Peter K. Henrici was a Swiss
mathematician
best known for his contributions to the field of numerical analysis
.
Henrici was born in Basel
and studied law for two years at University of Basel
. After World War II
he transferred to ETH Zürich
where he received a diploma
in electrical engineering
(1948) and a doctorate in mathematics
with Eduard Stiefel
as his advisor (1952). In 1951 he moved to the United States and worked on a joint contract with American University
and the National Bureau of Standards. Then, from 1956 to 1962, he taught at University of California, Los Angeles
where he became a professor
. In 1962 he returned to ETH Zürich as a professor, a position he kept for the rest of his life, though he also held a part-time appointment as William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
from 1985.
An internationally recognized numerical analyst, who published 11 books and more than 80 research papers, Henrici was also a gifted pianist and a highly regarded teacher. He was an editor of a number of scientific journals, including Numerische Mathematik
and Zeitschrift für Angewandte Mathematik und Physik
. In 1962, he was a speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians
, and in 1978 he gave the SIAM
John von Neumann Lecture.
Every four years since 1999, the Peter Henrici Prize is awarded by ETH Zürich and SIAM for "original contributions to applied analysis and numerical analysis and/or for exposition appropriate for applied mathematics and scientific computing".
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
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....
best known for his contributions to the field of numerical analysis
Numerical analysis
Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation for the problems of mathematical analysis ....
.
Henrici was born in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
and studied law for two years at University of Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he transferred to ETH Zürich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
where he received a diploma
Diplom
A Diplom is an academic degree in the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and a similarly named degree in some other European countries including Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Finland , Greece, Hungary, Russia, Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Ukraine...
in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
(1948) and a doctorate in 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...
with Eduard Stiefel
Eduard Stiefel
Eduard L. Stiefel was a Swiss mathematician. Together with Cornelius Lanczos and Magnus Hestenes, he invented the conjugate gradient method, and gave what is now understood to be a partial construction of the Stiefel–Whitney classes of a real vector bundle, thus co-founding the study of...
as his advisor (1952). In 1951 he moved to the United States and worked on a joint contract with American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
and the National Bureau of Standards. Then, from 1956 to 1962, he taught at University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The 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...
where he became a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
. In 1962 he returned to ETH Zürich as a professor, a position he kept for the rest of his life, though he also held a part-time appointment as William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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...
from 1985.
An internationally recognized numerical analyst, who published 11 books and more than 80 research papers, Henrici was also a gifted pianist and a highly regarded teacher. He was an editor of a number of scientific journals, including Numerische Mathematik
Numerische Mathematik
Numerische Mathematik is a peer-reviewed mathematics journal published by Springer.Founded in 1959, the journal publishes articles on numerical analysis.The journal is indexed by Mathematical Reviews and Zentralblatt MATH....
and Zeitschrift für Angewandte Mathematik und Physik
Zeitschrift für Angewandte Mathematik und Physik
Zeitschrift für Angewandte Mathematik und Physik , aka Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics Zeitschrift für Angewandte Mathematik und Physik (Z. angew. Math. Phys. / ZAMP), aka Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics Zeitschrift für Angewandte Mathematik und Physik (Z. angew. Math. Phys. /...
. In 1962, he was a speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians
International Congress of Mathematicians
The International Congress of Mathematicians is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union ....
, and in 1978 he gave the SIAM
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
The 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...
John von Neumann Lecture.
Every four years since 1999, the Peter Henrici Prize is awarded by ETH Zürich and SIAM for "original contributions to applied analysis and numerical analysis and/or for exposition appropriate for applied mathematics and scientific computing".