Thomas Wolff
Encyclopedia
Thomas Wolff was a noted mathematician, working primarily in the fields of harmonic analysis
, complex analysis
, and partial differential equation
s. As an undergraduate at Harvard University
he regularly played poker with his classmate Bill Gates
. While a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley
from 1976 to 1979, under the direction of Donald Sarason, he obtained a new proof of the corona theorem
, a famously difficult theorem in complex analysis
. He was made Professor of Mathematics at Caltech in 1986, and was there from 1988–1992 and from 1995 to his death in a car accident on a Monday night in 2000. He also held positions at the University of Washington
, University of Chicago
, New York University
, and University of California, Berkeley
.
He received the Salem Prize
in 1985 and the Bôcher Prize in 1999, for his contributions to analysis and particularly to the Kakeya conjecture.
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...
, 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,...
, and partial differential equation
Partial differential equation
In mathematics, partial differential equations are a type of differential equation, i.e., a relation involving an unknown function of several independent variables and their partial derivatives with respect to those variables...
s. As an undergraduate at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
he regularly played poker with his classmate Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
. While a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
from 1976 to 1979, under the direction of Donald Sarason, he obtained a new proof of the corona theorem
Corona theorem
In mathematics, the corona theorem is a result about the spectrum of the bounded holomorphic functions on the open unit disc, conjectured by and proved by ....
, a famously difficult theorem in 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 was made Professor of Mathematics at Caltech in 1986, and was there from 1988–1992 and from 1995 to his death in a car accident on a Monday night in 2000. He also held positions at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, and University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
He received the Salem Prize
Salem Prize
The Salem Prize, founded by the widow of Raphael Salem, is awarded every year to a young mathematician judged to have done outstanding work in Salem's field of interest, primarily the theory of Fourier series.-Past winners:...
in 1985 and the Bôcher Prize in 1999, for his contributions to analysis and particularly to the Kakeya conjecture.
External links
- Thomas Wolff Obituary
- Bocher Prize Announcement
- Thomas H. Wolff (1954-2000), Notices of the American Mathematical Society; vol. 48, no. 5 (May 2001).