Donald Shell
Encyclopedia
Donald L. Shell is a retired American
computer scientist
who designed the Shell sort
sorting algorithm
. He acquired his Ph.D.
in Mathematics from the University of Cincinnati
in 1959, after publishing the shell sort
algorithm in the Communications of the ACM
in July the same year.
After acquiring the B.S. from Michigan Technological University
, he went into the Army Corps of Engineers, and from there to the Philippines
to help repair damages during World War II
. When he returned after the war, he married Alice McCullough and returned to Michigan Technological University
, where he taught mathematics. After, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio
, and worked for General Electric
's engines division, where he developed a convergence algorithm and wrote a program to perform performance cycle calculations for aircraft jet engines. He also went to the University of Cincinnati, where in 1951 he acquired a M.S.
in mathematics and, in 1959, acquired his Ph.D.
in Mathematics. In July of that year he published the shell sort
algorithm and "The Share 709 System: A Cooperative Effort". In 1958, he and A. Spitzbart had published "A Chebycheff Fitting Criterion".
Although he is most widely known for his shell sort
algorithm, his Ph.D. is also considered by some to be the first major investigation of the convergence of infinite exponentials, with some very deep results of the convergence into the complex plane. This area has grown considerably and research related to it is now investigated in what is more commonly called Tetration
.
After acquiring his Ph.D., Shell moved to Schenectady, New York
, to become Manager of Engineering for General Electric's new Information Services Department, the first commercial enterprise to link computers together using the client–server architecture. In October 1962 he wrote "On the Convergence of Infinite Exponentials" in the Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society
. He worked with John George Kemeny
and Thomas Eugene Kurtz
to commercialize the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System in 1963.
In 1971 Shell wrote "Optimizing the Polyphase Sort" in the Communications of the ACM, and in 1972 he joined with a close friend and colleague, Mr. Ralph Mosher (who designed the walking truck
), to start a business called Robotics Inc. where he was the General Manager and chief software engineer. Four years later, in 1976, they sold the company and Shell returned to General Electric Information Services Corporation.
In 1984 he retired and moved to North Carolina
where he lives today.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
computer scientist
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
who designed the Shell sort
Shell sort
Shellsort, also known as Shell sort or Shell's method is an in-place comparison sort. It generalizes an exchanging sort, such as insertion or bubble sort, by allowing the comparison and exchange of elements that lie far apart. Its first version was published by Donald Shell in 1959. The running...
sorting algorithm
Sorting algorithm
In computer science, a sorting algorithm is an algorithm that puts elements of a list in a certain order. The most-used orders are numerical order and lexicographical order...
. He acquired his 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...
in Mathematics from the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
in 1959, after publishing the shell sort
Shell sort
Shellsort, also known as Shell sort or Shell's method is an in-place comparison sort. It generalizes an exchanging sort, such as insertion or bubble sort, by allowing the comparison and exchange of elements that lie far apart. Its first version was published by Donald Shell in 1959. The running...
algorithm in the Communications of the ACM
Communications of the ACM
Communications of the ACM is the flagship monthly journal of the Association for Computing Machinery . First published in 1957, CACM is sent to all ACM members, currently numbering about 80,000. The articles are intended for readers with backgrounds in all areas of computer science and information...
in July the same year.
After acquiring the B.S. from Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
, he went into the Army Corps of Engineers, and from there to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
to help repair damages 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...
. When he returned after the war, he married Alice McCullough and returned to Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
, where he taught mathematics. After, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, and worked for General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
's engines division, where he developed a convergence algorithm and wrote a program to perform performance cycle calculations for aircraft jet engines. He also went to the University of Cincinnati, where in 1951 he acquired a M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in mathematics and, in 1959, acquired his 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...
in Mathematics. In July of that year he published the shell sort
Shell sort
Shellsort, also known as Shell sort or Shell's method is an in-place comparison sort. It generalizes an exchanging sort, such as insertion or bubble sort, by allowing the comparison and exchange of elements that lie far apart. Its first version was published by Donald Shell in 1959. The running...
algorithm and "The Share 709 System: A Cooperative Effort". In 1958, he and A. Spitzbart had published "A Chebycheff Fitting Criterion".
Although he is most widely known for his shell sort
Shell sort
Shellsort, also known as Shell sort or Shell's method is an in-place comparison sort. It generalizes an exchanging sort, such as insertion or bubble sort, by allowing the comparison and exchange of elements that lie far apart. Its first version was published by Donald Shell in 1959. The running...
algorithm, his Ph.D. is also considered by some to be the first major investigation of the convergence of infinite exponentials, with some very deep results of the convergence into the complex plane. This area has grown considerably and research related to it is now investigated in what is more commonly called Tetration
Tetration
In mathematics, tetration is an iterated exponential and is the next hyper operator after exponentiation. The word tetration was coined by English mathematician Reuben Louis Goodstein from tetra- and iteration. Tetration is used for the notation of very large numbers...
.
After acquiring his Ph.D., Shell moved to Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
, to become Manager of Engineering for General Electric's new Information Services Department, the first commercial enterprise to link computers together using the client–server architecture. In October 1962 he wrote "On the Convergence of Infinite Exponentials" in the Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society
Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society
Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society is a monthly mathematics journal published by the American Mathematical Society. As a requirement, all articles must be at most 15 printed pages....
. He worked with John George Kemeny
John George Kemeny
John George Kemeny was a Hungarian American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator best known for co-developing the BASIC programming language in 1964 with Thomas E. Kurtz. Kemeny served as the 13th President of Dartmouth College from 1970 to 1981 and pioneered the use of computers in...
and Thomas Eugene Kurtz
Thomas Eugene Kurtz
Thomas Eugene Kurtz is an American computer scientist who co-developed the BASIC programming language during 1963 to 1964, together with John G. Kemeny....
to commercialize the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System in 1963.
In 1971 Shell wrote "Optimizing the Polyphase Sort" in the Communications of the ACM, and in 1972 he joined with a close friend and colleague, Mr. Ralph Mosher (who designed the walking truck
Walking truck
The walking truck was an experimental quadruped robot made by General Electric in 1968. It was designed by Ralph Mosher to help infantry carry equipment over rough terrain....
), to start a business called Robotics Inc. where he was the General Manager and chief software engineer. Four years later, in 1976, they sold the company and Shell returned to General Electric Information Services Corporation.
In 1984 he retired and moved to 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...
where he lives today.