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George David Birkhoff
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American mathematician (1884-1944)
OverviewAI-generated
George David Birkhoff was an American mathematician, topologist, and university teacher. He was educated at Harvard University and the University of Chicago, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts, and a Doctor of Philosophy. His doctoral advisor was Eliakim Hastings Moore, and he was influenced by Henri Poincaré. Birkhoff worked at Princeton University, Harvard University, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
His fields of work included topology, mathematics, ergodic theory, and the three-body problem. Notable works include the ergodic theorem, Birkhoff's theorem, the Poincaré–Birkhoff theorem, and the Birkhoff–Grothendieck theorem. He received the Bôcher Memorial Prize and the Newcomb Cleveland Prize, and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Birkhoff was born in Overisel Township in 1884 and died in Cambridge in 1944. He is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery. His student was Harry Vandiver. He had an Erdős number of 3.
Synthesized by Vinony from 43 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Crossref, OpenAlex, VIAF, Vinony collections, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1884
- Died
- 1944
- Works
- 16
Top works
- Notes on the differential equations of quantum mechanics
- Geometry
- Mathematics of aesthetics
- Surface transformations and their dynamical applications
- Three public lectures on scientific subjects
via Open Library + Wikidata
Academic profile · OpenAlex
- Works
- 137
- Cited by
- 7,492
Research areas
Most cited works
- Proof of the Ergodic Theorem1931 · 847 cit
- Aesthetic Measure1933 · 566 cit
- A Determinant Formula for the Number of Ways of Coloring a Map1912 · 390 cit
- The restricted problem of three bodies1915 · 386 cit
- Surface transformations and their dynamical applications1922 · 342 cit
via OpenAlex · CC0
Recent publications · Crossref
5 total works indexed
- Basic local alignment search tool
· 1990 · cited 79,996x
- A short history of<i>SHELX</i>
· 2007 · cited 79,624x
- The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews
· 2021 · cited 76,845x
- The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.
· 1986 · cited 62,912x
- Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error
· 1981 · cited 60,719x
via Crossref · CC0
Authority record · VIAF
- Lifespan
- 1884–1944
- Nationality
- US
- Role / Field
- Matematycy, Vysokoskolsti ucitele, Matematici, Matematyka, Teorie cisel, Problem tri teles
- Language
- eng
- Gender
- Male
Recorded by 18 libraries
via VIAF · OCLC
Key facts
- Born
- ( 1884-03-21 ) March 21, 1884, Overisel Township, Michigan , U.S.
- Died
- November 12, 1944 (1944-11-12) (aged 60), Cambridge, Massachusetts , U.S.
- Alma mater
- Harvard University ( AB , AM ), University of Chicago ( PhD )
- Known for
- Ergodic theorem , Birkhoff's axioms
- Awards
- Bôcher Memorial Prize (1923) , Newcomb Cleveland Prize (1926)
- Fields
- Mathematics
- Institutions
- Harvard University, Yale University , Princeton University , Radcliffe College
- Thesis
- Asymptotic Properties of Certain Ordinary Differential Equations with Applications to Boundary Value and Expansion Problems (1907)
- Doctoral advisor
- E. H. Moore
- Doctoral students
- Clarence Adams , Raymond Brink , Robert D. Carmichael , Bernard Koopman , Rudolph Langer , Charles Morrey , Marston Morse , G. Baley Price , I. M. Sheffer , Marshall H. Stone , Joseph L. Walsh , Hassler Whitney , David Widder , Kenneth Williams
via Wikipedia infobox
~10 min read
Encyclopedic overview
George David Birkhoff (March 21, 1884 – November 12, 1944) was an American mathematician. He is considered one of the top American mathematicians of his generation. He made valuable contributions to the theory of differential equations, dynamical systems, the four-color problem, the three-body problem, and general relativity. Today, Birkhoff is best remembered for the ergodic theorem. The George D. Birkhoff House, his residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
Early life
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “George David Birkhoff” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.