Walter Rudin
Encyclopedia
Walter Rudin was an American
mathematician
, for most of his career a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
He is known for three of his books on mathematical analysis
: Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Real and Complex Analysis, and Functional Analysis. The first was written when Rudin was a Moore instructor at MIT for the undergraduate analysis course and is widely used as a textbook for undergraduate courses in analysis.
in 1921. They fled to France
after the Anschluss
in 1938. When France surrendered to Germany in 1940, Rudin fled to England and served in the British navy for the rest of the war. After the war he left for the United States, and earned his B.A. from Duke University
in North Carolina
in 1947, and two years later earned a Ph.D. from the same institution. After that he was a C.L.E. Moore instructor
at MIT, briefly taught in the University of Rochester
, before becoming a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. He remained at the University for 32 years. His research interests spanned from harmonic analysis
to complex analysis
. He received an honorary degree from the University of Vienna in 2006. His Erdos Number
was 2.
In 1953, he married fellow mathematician Mary Ellen Estill
. The two resided in Madison, Wisconsin
, in the eponymous Walter Rudin House
, a home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
. They had four children.
Rudin died on May 20, 2010 after suffering from Parkinson's disease
.
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....
, for most of his career a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
He is known for three of his books on mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis, which mathematicians refer to simply as analysis, has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of infinitesimal calculus. It is a branch of pure mathematics that includes the theories of differentiation, integration and measure, limits, infinite series, and analytic functions...
: Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Real and Complex Analysis, and Functional Analysis. The first was written when Rudin was a Moore instructor at MIT for the undergraduate analysis course and is widely used as a textbook for undergraduate courses in analysis.
Biography
Rudin was born into a Jewish family in AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1921. They fled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
after the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
in 1938. When France surrendered to Germany in 1940, Rudin fled to England and served in the British navy for the rest of the war. After the war he left for the United States, and earned his B.A. from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in 1947, and two years later earned a Ph.D. from the same institution. After that he was a C.L.E. Moore instructor
C.L.E. Moore instructor
The job title of C.L.E. Moore instructor is given by the Math Department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to recent math Ph.D.s hired for their promise in pure mathematics research. The instructors are expected to do both teaching and research. One of the most well known C.L.E. Moore...
at MIT, briefly taught in the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, before becoming a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. He remained at the University for 32 years. His research interests spanned from harmonic analysis
Harmonic analysis
Harmonic analysis is the branch of mathematics that studies the representation of functions or signals as the superposition of basic waves. It investigates and generalizes the notions of Fourier series and Fourier transforms...
to complex analysis
Complex analysis
Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates functions of complex numbers. It is useful in many branches of mathematics, including number theory and applied mathematics; as well as in physics,...
. He received an honorary degree from the University of Vienna in 2006. His Erdos Number
Erdos number
The Erdős number describes the "collaborative distance" between a person and mathematician Paul Erdős, as measured by authorship of mathematical papers.The same principle has been proposed for other eminent persons in other fields.- Overview :...
was 2.
In 1953, he married fellow mathematician Mary Ellen Estill
Mary Ellen Rudin
Mary Ellen Rudin is an American mathematician.Born Mary Ellen Estill, she attended the University of Texas, completing her B.A. in 1944 and her Ph.D. in 1949, under Robert Lee Moore. In 1953, she married the mathematician Walter Rudin. Following her mentor Moore, her research centers on point-set...
. The two resided in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, in the eponymous Walter Rudin House
Walter Rudin House
The Walter Rudin House is a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marshall Erdman prefab building located at 110 Marinette Trail, Madison, Wisconsin. Designed in 1957, it is the first of the only two examples of the second type of the Marshall Erdman Prefab Houses...
, a home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
. They had four children.
Rudin died on May 20, 2010 after suffering from Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
Publications
- Principles of Mathematical Analysis
- Real and Complex Analysis
- Functional Analysis
- Fourier Analysis on Groups
- Function Theory in Polydiscs
- Function Theory in the Unit Ball of Cn
- The Way I Remember It (autobiography, 1991)