Wim Cohen
Encyclopedia
Jacob Willem "Wim" Cohen (27 August 1923 Leeuwarden – 12 November 2000) was a Dutch
mathematician, well known for over hundred scientific publications and several books in queueing theory
.
Wim Cohen was born in a Jewish family, as the son of Benjamin Cohen and Aaltje Klein. Having acquired an autodidact knowledge of mathematics while in hiding during World War II
, Cohen got an Engineer's degree
(1949) and Ph.D.
degree (1955) in mechanical engineering
at Delft University, on a dissertation entitled
Stress Calculations in Helicoidal Shells and Propeller Blades. He worked as teletraffic engineer with the
Telecommunications group at Philips
(1950-57), at the
applied mathematics department at Delft (1957-73) and University of Utrecht (1973-1998). He was buried in Haifa
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
mathematician, well known for over hundred scientific publications and several books in queueing theory
Queueing theory
Queueing theory is the mathematical study of waiting lines, or queues. The theory enables mathematical analysis of several related processes, including arriving at the queue, waiting in the queue , and being served at the front of the queue...
.
Wim Cohen was born in a Jewish family, as the son of Benjamin Cohen and Aaltje Klein. Having acquired an autodidact knowledge of mathematics while in hiding 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...
, Cohen got an Engineer's degree
Engineer's degree
An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering that is conferred in Europe, some countries of Latin America, and a few institutions in the United States....
(1949) and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree (1955) in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at Delft University, on a dissertation entitled
Stress Calculations in Helicoidal Shells and Propeller Blades. He worked as teletraffic engineer with the
Telecommunications group at Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
(1950-57), at the
applied mathematics department at Delft (1957-73) and University of Utrecht (1973-1998). He was buried in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
.
Books
- The single server queue (1969)
- Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioural Sciences (Academic PressAcademic PressAcademic Press is an academic book publisher. Originally independent, it was acquired by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1969. Reed Elsevier bought Harcourt in 2000, and Academic Press is now an imprint of Elsevier....
, 1969) - On regenerative processes in queueing theory
- Boundary value problems in queueing systems (ElsevierElsevierElsevier is a publishing company which publishes medical and scientific literature. It is a part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has operations in the United Kingdom, USA and elsewhere....
, 1983). Editor with Onno J. BoxmaOnno J. BoxmaOnno J. Boxma is a Dutch mathematician, known for several contributions to queueing theory and applied probability theory.Born in Den Haag, he earned a B.Sc. in mathematics at Delft University , Boxmagot his Ph.D...
. - Analysis of random walkRandom walkA random walk, sometimes denoted RW, is a mathematical formalisation of a trajectory that consists of taking successive random steps. For example, the path traced by a molecule as it travels in a liquid or a gas, the search path of a foraging animal, the price of a fluctuating stock and the...
s (IOS PressIOS PressIOS Press is a publishing house headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, specialising in the publication of journals and books related to fields of scientific, technical and medical research...
, 1992)
Awards
- Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen AKZO prize (1986)
- honorary doctorate from the Technion (1988)
- honorary member of the International Advisory Committee of the International Teletraffic CongressInternational Teletraffic CongressThe International Teletraffic Congress was created in 1955 by Arne Jensen to initially cater to the emerging need to understand and model traffic in telephone networks using stochastic methodologies, and to bring together researchers with these considerations as a common theme...
.