Elwyn Berlekamp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elwyn Berlekamp
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Berlekamp in 2005
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Elwyn Ralph Berlekamp
September 6, 1940 Dover, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | April 9, 2019 (aged 78) Piedmont, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Known for | Berlekamp's algorithm Berlekamp switching game Berlekamp–Welch algorithm Berlekamp–Massey algorithm Berlekamp–Rabin algorithm Berlekamp–Zassenhaus algorithm Berlekamp–Van Lint–Seidel graph Blockbusting Combinatorial game theory Cooling and heating Coupon Go Error-correcting codes with feedback Partisan game Phutball |
| Awards | IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal (1991) Claude E. Shannon Award (1993) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Information theory, Coding theory, Combinatorial game theory |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley |
| Thesis | Block coding with noiseless feedback (1964) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert G. Gallager |
| Doctoral students | Julia Kempe |
| Other notable students | Ken Thompson |
Elwyn Ralph Berlekamp (born September 6, 1940 – died April 9, 2019) was a smart professor. He taught mathematics and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. Berlekamp was famous for his work in computer science, especially in areas like coding theory and combinatorial game theory.
Coding theory is about how to send information without errors. Combinatorial game theory is about studying games using math.
Berlekamp created a special method (called an algorithm) to solve complex math problems. He also helped invent the Berlekamp–Welch algorithm and the Berlekamp–Massey algorithm. These methods are used in something called Reed-Solomon error correction. This helps fix mistakes when data is sent or stored, like on CDs or in space communication.
Besides his math and computer work, Berlekamp also worked in investing. He managed a company called Axcom, which later became part of a big investment fund called Renaissance Technologies' Medallion Fund.
Contents
Early Life and School
Elwyn Berlekamp was born in Dover, Ohio. His family later moved to Northern Kentucky. He finished high school in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky.
While studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he was a Putnam Fellow in 1961. This is a special honor for top math students. He earned his first two degrees in electrical engineering in 1962. He continued his studies at MIT and got his Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1964. His teachers included famous scientists like Claude Shannon.
Berlekamp had two daughters and a son with his wife, Jennifer. He lived in Piedmont, California. He passed away in April 2019 at 78 years old. He died from problems related to a lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis.
His Work and Achievements
Berlekamp started as a professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley in 1964. After two years, he became a math researcher at Bell Labs.
In 1971, Berlekamp returned to Berkeley. He became a professor of both mathematics and computer science. He helped more than twenty students earn their advanced degrees.
He was chosen to be a member of important groups like the National Academy of Engineering (in 1977) and the National Academy of Sciences (in 1999). He also became a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Mathematical Society.
Berlekamp received many awards for his work. These included the IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal in 1991 and the Claude E. Shannon Award in 1993. In 1998, he won a Golden Jubilee Award for his amazing inventions from the IEEE Information Theory Society.
He also helped start a group called Gathering 4 Gardner. This group celebrates the ideas of a famous writer named Martin Gardner. Berlekamp was on its board for many years. In the mid-1980s, he was the president of Cyclotomics, Inc. This company created technology for fixing errors in data.
Berlekamp loved to study different games. He looked at games like dots and boxes, Fox and Geese, and especially Go. He even wrote a book called Mathematical Go with David Wolfe. This book explained how to use math to understand parts of the game Go.
Berlekamp and Martin Gardner
Elwyn Berlekamp was a good friend of Scientific American writer Martin Gardner. Gardner wrote about math puzzles and games. Berlekamp was part of a group of smart people that Gardner connected with. They inspired each other.
Berlekamp worked with two other friends of Gardner, John Horton Conway and Richard K. Guy. Together, they wrote a famous book called Winning Ways for your Mathematical Plays. This book helped make Berlekamp known as one of the people who started combinatorial game theory. The book was dedicated to Martin Gardner, saying he "brought more mathematics to more millions than anyone else."
Both Berlekamp and Gardner loved and supported recreational mathematics. This is math that is fun and like a game. Conferences called Gathering 4 Gardner (G4G) happen every two years to celebrate Gardner's ideas. Berlekamp was one of the people who started G4G and was on its board for a long time.
Selected Books
Berlekamp wrote many important books and papers:
- Block coding with noiseless feedback. This was his Ph.D. paper from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1964.
- Algebraic Coding Theory, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968. A newer version came out in 1984, ISBN: 0-89412-063-8.
- (with John Horton Conway and Richard K. Guy) Winning Ways for your Mathematical Plays.
- The first edition came out in 1982 in two books.
- A second edition was published from 2001 to 2004 in four books.
- (with David Wolfe) Mathematical Go. Wellesley, Massachusetts: A. K. Peters Ltd., 1994. ISBN: 1-56881-032-6.
- The Dots-and-Boxes Game. Natick, Massachusetts: A. K. Peters Ltd., 2000. ISBN: 1-56881-129-2.
See also
In Spanish: Elwyn Berlekamp para niños
- Berlekamp switching game
- Berlekamp–Zassenhaus algorithm
