Banesh Hoffmann
Encyclopedia
Banesh Hoffmann was a British
mathematician
and physicist
known for his association with Albert Einstein
.
, on 6 September 1906. He studied mathematics and theoretical physics
at the University of Oxford
, where he earned his bachelor of arts
and went on to earn his doctorate at Princeton University
.
While at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton, Hoffmann collaborated with Einstein and Leopold Infeld
on the classic paper Gravitational Equations and the Problem of Motion. Einstein’s original work on general relativity
was based on two ideas. The first was the equation of motion: a particle would follow the shortest path in four-dimensional space-time
. The second was how matter affects the geometry of space-time. What Einstein, Infeld, and Hoffmann showed was that the equation of motion
followed directly from the field equation that defined the geometry (see main article).
In 1937 Hoffmann joined the mathematics department of Queens College, part of the City University of New York
, where he remained till the late 1970s. He retired in the 1960s but continued to teach one course a semester — in the fall a course on classical and quantum mechanics and in the spring one on the special and general theories of relativity.
He died on 5 August 1986. One of the Queens College mathematics department's honors for graduating seniors is named in his honor.
with Einstein's secretary, Helen Dukas
. The pair collaborated again in compiling Albert Einstein: The Human Side, a collection of quotations from Einstein's letters and other personal papers.
Hoffmann was also the author of The Strange Story of the Quantum, The Tyranny of Testing, About Vectors, and Relativity and Its Roots. He was a member of the Baker Street Irregulars
and wrote the short story
"Sherlock, Shakespeare, and the Bomb," published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in February 1966.
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 physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
known for his association with Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
.
Life
Banesh Hoffmann was born in Richmond, EnglandRichmond, North Yorkshire
Richmond is a market town and civil parish on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. It is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and serves as the Park's main tourist centre...
, on 6 September 1906. He studied mathematics and theoretical physics
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where he earned his bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and went on to earn his doctorate at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
While at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton, Hoffmann collaborated with Einstein and Leopold Infeld
Leopold Infeld
Leopold Infeld was a Polish physicist who worked mainly in Poland and Canada . He was a Rockefeller fellow at Cambridge University and a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences....
on the classic paper Gravitational Equations and the Problem of Motion. Einstein’s original work on general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
was based on two ideas. The first was the equation of motion: a particle would follow the shortest path in four-dimensional space-time
Spacetime
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...
. The second was how matter affects the geometry of space-time. What Einstein, Infeld, and Hoffmann showed was that the equation of motion
Equation of motion
Equations of motion are equations that describe the behavior of a system in terms of its motion as a function of time...
followed directly from the field equation that defined the geometry (see main article).
In 1937 Hoffmann joined the mathematics department of Queens College, part of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
, where he remained till the late 1970s. He retired in the 1960s but continued to teach one course a semester — in the fall a course on classical and quantum mechanics and in the spring one on the special and general theories of relativity.
He died on 5 August 1986. One of the Queens College mathematics department's honors for graduating seniors is named in his honor.
Works
Hoffmann became Einstein’s biographer in 1972 when he co-authored Albert Einstein: Creator and RebelAlbert Einstein: Creator and Rebel
Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel is a book by Banesh Hoffmann with the collaboration of Helen Dukas. The book is an biography of Albert Einstein, including both his personal and academic life with references to specific events and people...
with Einstein's secretary, Helen Dukas
Helen Dukas
Helen Dukas was Albert Einstein's secretary. She also co-authored Einstein: Creator and Rebel and co-edited Albert Einstein: The Human Side with Dr. Banesh Hoffmann...
. The pair collaborated again in compiling Albert Einstein: The Human Side, a collection of quotations from Einstein's letters and other personal papers.
Hoffmann was also the author of The Strange Story of the Quantum, The Tyranny of Testing, About Vectors, and Relativity and Its Roots. He was a member of the Baker Street Irregulars
Baker Street Irregulars
The Baker Street Irregulars are any of several different groups, all named after the original, from various Sherlock Holmes stories in which they are a gang of young street children whom Holmes often employs to aid his cases.- Original :...
and wrote the short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"Sherlock, Shakespeare, and the Bomb," published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in February 1966.
See also
- Basic concepts of quantum mechanicsBasic concepts of quantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics explains the behaviour of matter and energy on the scale of atoms and subatomic particles.Classical physics explains matter and energy at the macroscopic level of the scale familiar to human experience, including the behavior of astronomical bodies...
- Einstein–Infeld–Hoffmann equations