Some remarks on applied mathematics – written by the applied mathematician

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirosław Lachowicz
2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 291
Author(s):  
L. H. Campbell ◽  
P. G. Taylor

Ren Potts was an Australian applied mathematician whose early work in statistical mechanics later became influential: the ‘Potts Model' became his most cited work. As Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Adelaide for thirty years, he built up an excellent Department of Mathematics and had a major influence on the development of Applied Mathematics in Australia. His work in transportation science and operations research is well known. Ren Potts was a gifted teacher and an inspiring research leader. He was an early advocate of close co-operation between academia and industry, was an early adopter of computing for research and teaching, and was a pioneer in forging new links between Australian universities and the South-East Asian region.


2004 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinhard Siegmund-Schultze

ArgumentThe article describes a special type of scientific and philosophical “non-conformism” as exemplified in the versatile work of Richard von Mises (1883–1953). While the historical impact of von Mises' practical and organizational work in applied mathematics is beyond doubt, it is shown that von Mises' insistence on cognitive connectibility of various scientific domains was not, in the end, successful although it stimulated the theoretical discussion considerably. Von Mises developed a principally critical attitude towards what he considered “one-sided” in several streams of modernity and tended to be “anti-modern” even in those of his activities which belonged to “modernism.” Reasons can be found in his biographical experiences, in particular in his unorthodox academic education and repeated emigrations. Thus biographical research has considerable potential for historical explanation. The paper delves into the existing premises and sources for a scientific biography of Richard von Mises which is yet to be written, and publishes in the appendix a revealing biographical sketch (1959) authored by von Mises' widow, the applied mathematician Hilda Geiringer.


1988 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 221-258

Adrian Gill died, tragically, a few days after the diagnosis of cancer of the colon in an advanced state and a month after his election to the Fellowship. He was a gifted applied mathematician who made outstanding contributions to dynamical oceanography and to air-sea interaction problems. Most of his research life was spent in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge, where he was one of the first and best products of the Department’s involvement in geophysical fluid dynamics. In 1984, when the Meteorological Office gave him and his ocean-modelling research group secure positions at the newly created Hooke Institute at Oxford, he was at the height of his powers. He excelled at devising simple yet illuminating models of complex physical processes in the ocean and atmosphere, and at bringing powerful theoretical analysis to bear on dynamical problem s suggested by observations. Recognition of the unity of the ocean-atmosphere system is a key feature of his research, and is a major them e of his important book published in 1982. He was also a pioneer in the study of the effect of the ocean on climatic variations. His influence on developments in oceanography and climatology was not confined to his publications, and was exerted also through his active participation in many international study groups and observational programmes. Both of the authors of this memoir had a close relationship with Adrian Gill and have naturally referred to him here by his given name. Use of the first person in sections 1-8 is by G.K.B . and in sections 9-12 by R.H.


To the pure mathematician of the present day the tensor calculus is a notation of differential geometry, of special utility in connection with multi-dimensional spaces; to the applied mathematician it is the backbone of the general theory of relativity. But when it is recognised that every problem in applied mathematics may be regarded as a geometrical problem (in the widest sense) and that the geometrical forms which many of these problems take are such that the tensor calculus can be directly applied, it is realised that the possibilities of this calculus in the field of applied mathematics can hardly be overestimated. It has a dual importance: first, by its help, known results may be exhibited in the most compact form; secondly, it enables the mathematician to exercise his most potent instrument of discovery, geometrical intuition. In the present paper we are concerned with the development of general dynamical theory with the aid of the tensor calculus. In view of the present close association of the tensor theory with the theory of relativity, it should be clearly understood that this paper only attempts to deal with the classical or Newtonian dynamics of a system of particles or of rigid bodies. The subject is presented in a semi-geometrical aspect, and the reader should visualise the results in order to realise the close analogy between general dynamical theory and the dynamics of a particle. Mathematicians display a strange reluctance in summoning to their assistance the power of visualisation in multidimensional space. They forget that they have studied the geometry of three dimensions largely through the medium of a schematic representation on a two dimensional sheet of paper. The same method is available in the case of any number of dimensions.


Author(s):  
Leiba Rodman

Quaternions are a number system that has become increasingly useful for representing the rotations of objects in three-dimensional space and has important applications in theoretical and applied mathematics, physics, computer science, and engineering. This is the first book to provide a systematic, accessible, and self-contained exposition of quaternion linear algebra. It features previously unpublished research results with complete proofs and many open problems at various levels, as well as more than 200 exercises to facilitate use by students and instructors. Applications presented in the book include numerical ranges, invariant semidefinite subspaces, differential equations with symmetries, and matrix equations. Designed for researchers and students across a variety of disciplines, the book can be read by anyone with a background in linear algebra, rudimentary complex analysis, and some multivariable calculus. Instructors will find it useful as a complementary text for undergraduate linear algebra courses or as a basis for a graduate course in linear algebra. The open problems can serve as research projects for undergraduates, topics for graduate students, or problems to be tackled by professional research mathematicians. The book is also an invaluable reference tool for researchers in fields where techniques based on quaternion analysis are used.


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