Robin Gandy
Encyclopedia
Robin Oliver Gandy was a British
mathematician
and logician.
He was a friend, student, and associate of Alan Turing
, having been supervised by Turing during his PhD at the University of Cambridge
(graduated 1953), where they worked together.
Educated at Abbotsholme, Robin Gandy took two years of the Mathematical Tripos, at King's College
, Cambridge
, before enlisting for military service in 1940. During World War II
he became involved in work with Alan Turing, on a speech encipherment project at Hanslope Park, and became one of Turing's lifelong friends and associates. In 1946, he completed Part III of the Mathematical Tripos, then began studying for a PhD under Turing's supervision. He completed his thesis, On axiomatic systems in mathematics and theories in Physics, in 1952. He was a member of the Apostles
.
Gandy held positions at the Universities of Leicester
, Leeds
, and Manchester
. Gandy was a visiting associate professor at Stanford
from 1966 to 1967, and held a similar position at University of California, Los Angeles
in 1968. In 1969 he moved to Wolfson College, Oxford
, where he became Reader in Mathematical Logic. One of the residential buildings of the college is now named in his honour.
He is best-known for his work in recursion theory
. His contributions include the Spector-Gandy theorem, the Gandy Stage Comparison theorem, and the Gandy Selection Theorem. He also made a significant contribution to the understanding of the Church–Turing thesis, and his generalization of the Turing machine
is called a Gandy machine.
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....
and logician.
He was a friend, student, and associate of Alan Turing
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
, having been supervised by Turing during his PhD 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...
(graduated 1953), where they worked together.
Educated at Abbotsholme, Robin Gandy took two years of the Mathematical Tripos, at King's College
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, 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...
, before enlisting for military service in 1940. During 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 became involved in work with Alan Turing, on a speech encipherment project at Hanslope Park, and became one of Turing's lifelong friends and associates. In 1946, he completed Part III of the Mathematical Tripos, then began studying for a PhD under Turing's supervision. He completed his thesis, On axiomatic systems in mathematics and theories in Physics, in 1952. He was a member of the Apostles
Cambridge Apostles
The Cambridge Apostles, also known as the Cambridge Conversazione Society, is an intellectual secret society at the University of Cambridge founded in 1820 by George Tomlinson, a Cambridge student who went on to become the first Bishop of Gibraltar....
.
Gandy held positions at the Universities of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
, Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, and 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...
. Gandy was a visiting associate professor at Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
from 1966 to 1967, and held a similar position 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...
in 1968. In 1969 he moved to Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with over sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research and junior research fellows. It caters to a wide range of...
, where he became Reader in Mathematical Logic. One of the residential buildings of the college is now named in his honour.
He is best-known for his work in recursion theory
Recursion theory
Computability theory, also called recursion theory, is a branch of mathematical logic that originated in the 1930s with the study of computable functions and Turing degrees. The field has grown to include the study of generalized computability and definability...
. His contributions include the Spector-Gandy theorem, the Gandy Stage Comparison theorem, and the Gandy Selection Theorem. He also made a significant contribution to the understanding of the Church–Turing thesis, and his generalization of the Turing machine
Turing machine
A Turing machine is a theoretical device that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules. Despite its simplicity, a Turing machine can be adapted to simulate the logic of any computer algorithm, and is particularly useful in explaining the functions of a CPU inside a...
is called a Gandy machine.