William Fogg Osgood
Encyclopedia
William Fogg Osgood was an American
mathematician
, born in Boston.
In 1886, he graduated from Harvard
, where, after studying at the universities of Göttingen (1887–1889) and Erlangen
(Ph.D.
, 1890), he was instructor (1890–1893), assistant professor (1893–1903), and thenceforth professor
of mathematics. He became professor emeritus in 1933. Osgood was chairman of the department of mathematics in Harvard from 1918 to 1922.
From 1899 to 1902, he served as editor of the Annals of Mathematics
and in 1904–1905 was president of the American Mathematical Society
, whose Transactions he edited in 1909–1910. In 1904, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
.
The works of Osgood dealt with complex analysis
, in particular conformal mapping and uniformization of analytic functions, and calculus of variations
. He was invited by Felix Klein
to write an article on complex analysis in the Enzyklopädie der mathematischen Wissenschaften which
was later expanded in the book Lehrbuch der Funktionentheorie. Besides his research on analysis, Osgood was also interested in mathematical physics and wrote on the theory of the gyroscope
.
Osgood's cousin, Louise Osgood, was the mother of Bernard Koopman
.
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....
, born in Boston.
In 1886, he graduated from Harvard
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...
, where, after studying at the universities of Göttingen (1887–1889) and Erlangen
Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg
The Universität Erlangen Nürnberg is a university in the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. It is the second largest state university in Bavaria, having five Schools, 308 chairs, and 12,000 employees. There are 28,735 students enrolled at the university, of which about 2/3 are...
(Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, 1890), he was instructor (1890–1893), assistant professor (1893–1903), and thenceforth professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of mathematics. He became professor emeritus in 1933. Osgood was chairman of the department of mathematics in Harvard from 1918 to 1922.
From 1899 to 1902, he served as editor of the Annals of Mathematics
Annals of Mathematics
The Annals of Mathematics is a bimonthly mathematical journal published by Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study. It ranks amongst the most prestigious mathematics journals in the world by criteria such as impact factor.-History:The journal began as The Analyst in 1874 and was...
and in 1904–1905 was president of the American Mathematical Society
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
, whose Transactions he edited in 1909–1910. In 1904, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
.
The works of Osgood dealt with 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,...
, in particular conformal mapping and uniformization of analytic functions, and calculus of variations
Calculus of variations
Calculus of variations is a field of mathematics that deals with extremizing functionals, as opposed to ordinary calculus which deals with functions. A functional is usually a mapping from a set of functions to the real numbers. Functionals are often formed as definite integrals involving unknown...
. He was invited by Felix Klein
Felix Klein
Christian Felix Klein was a German mathematician, known for his work in group theory, function theory, non-Euclidean geometry, and on the connections between geometry and group theory...
to write an article on complex analysis in the Enzyklopädie der mathematischen Wissenschaften which
was later expanded in the book Lehrbuch der Funktionentheorie. Besides his research on analysis, Osgood was also interested in mathematical physics and wrote on the theory of the gyroscope
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
.
Osgood's cousin, Louise Osgood, was the mother of Bernard Koopman
Bernard Koopman
Bernard Osgood Koopman was a French-born American mathematician, known for his work in ergodic theory, the foundations of probability, statistical theory and operations research....
.
Works by W. F. Osgood
Osgood's books include:- Introduction to Infinite Series (Harvard University Press 1897; third edition, 1906)
- (with W. C. Graustein) Plane and solid analytic geometry (Macmillan, NY, 1921)
- Lehrbuch der Funktionentheorie (Teubner, Berlin, 1907; second edition, 1912)
- First Course in Differential and Integral CalculusCalculusCalculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
(1907; revised edition, 1909) - Elementary calculus (MacMillan, NY, 1921)
- Mechanics (MacMillan, NY, 1937)