Endre Szemerédi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Endre Szemerédi
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Szemerédi in 2014
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| Born | August 21, 1940 Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary
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| Nationality | Hungarian, American |
| Alma mater | Eötvös Loránd University |
| Awards | Abel Prize (2012) Széchenyi Prize (2012) Rolf Schock Prizes (2008) Leroy P. Steele Prize (2008) George Pólya Prize (1975) Alfréd Rényi Prize (1973) Member of the National Academy of Sciences |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Combinatorics Computer science Mathematics Theoretical computer science |
| Institutions | Rutgers University |
| Doctoral advisor | Israel Gelfand |
| Doctoral students | Jaikumar Radhakrishnan Gábor N. Sárközy |
Endre Szemerédi, born on August 21, 1940, is a famous Hungarian-American mathematician and computer scientist. He works in areas like combinatorics and theoretical computer science. Combinatorics is about counting and arranging things. Theoretical computer science uses math to understand how computers work.
Since 1986, he has been a professor of computer science at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He is also a professor emeritus at the Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics in Hungary. Szemerédi has won many important awards. These include the Abel Prize in 2012. He has made many big discoveries. These include Szemerédi's theorem and the Szemerédi regularity lemma.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Endre Szemerédi was born in Budapest, Hungary. His parents wanted him to become a doctor. So, he first enrolled in medical school. However, he left after six months. He later explained that he wasn't sure he could handle such a big responsibility.
He then studied at the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. He earned his PhD from Moscow State University. His main advisor was Israel Gelfand. Szemerédi had actually wanted to study with a different mathematician, Alexander Gelfond. But there was a mistake in the spelling.
Academic Career
Since 1986, Szemerédi has been a special professor of computer science. He teaches at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He has also worked at other universities for short periods.
These include Stanford University in 1974. He also visited McGill University in 1980. From 1981 to 1983, he was at the University of South Carolina. Later, he was at the University of Chicago from 1985 to 1986.
Important Discoveries
Endre Szemerédi has written over 200 scientific papers. These papers cover many topics. They include discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science. He also writes about arithmetic combinatorics and discrete geometry.
Szemerédi's Theorem
He is most famous for his proof from 1975. This proof solved an old problem. It was a problem posed by mathematicians Paul Erdős and Pál Turán. The problem was about sequences of numbers. If a sequence of natural numbers is "dense" enough, it must contain very long patterns. These patterns are called arithmetic progressions. Think of them like 2, 4, 6, 8... or 5, 10, 15, 20... This important result is now known as Szemerédi's theorem.
Szemerédi Regularity Lemma
One of the tools he created for his proof is also very famous. It is called the Szemerédi regularity lemma. This lemma helps mathematicians understand complex structures. It is often used in combinatorics. For example, it helps study large graphs. Graphs are like networks of dots and lines.
Other Key Contributions
Szemerédi is also known for other important theorems. These include the Szemerédi–Trotter theorem. This theorem is used in a field called incidence geometry. He also contributed to the Hajnal–Szemerédi theorem and the Ruzsa–Szemerédi problem. These are important in graph theory.
With his colleagues, he proved the corners theorem. This was a big step. It helped to extend Szemerédi's theorem to higher dimensions. He also worked on Ramsey numbers. These numbers help find patterns in large sets. He helped create a very efficient way to sort information. This is called a sorting network.
With other scientists, he proved the Crossing Lemma. This lemma helps understand how many times lines cross in a graph. He also worked with Paul Erdős on the Erdős–Szemerédi theorem. This theorem is about how many sums and products you can make from a set of numbers. His work has greatly influenced many areas of mathematics and computer science.
Awards and Honors
Szemerédi has received many awards for his work. Here are some of them:
- Grünwald Prize (1967, 1968)
- Alfréd Rényi Prize (1973)
- George Pólya Prize (1975)
- Prize of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1979)
- State of New Jersey Professorship (1986)
- Leroy P. Steele Prize (2008)
- Rolf Schock Prizes in Mathematics (2008)
- Széchenyi Prize (2012)
- Abel Prize (2012)
- Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen (2020)
- Honorary John von Neumann Professor (2021)
He is a member of important academies. These include the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the United States National Academy of Sciences. He is also a member of the Academia Europaea. He is a research fellow at the Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics. He has also been an honorary doctor at Charles University in Prague.
In 2012, Szemerédi won the Abel Prize. This is one of the highest honors in mathematics. He received it for his important work in discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science. The prize committee said his work had a huge impact. It helped connect different areas of mathematics. Szemerédi said that the prize was not just for him. He felt it was a recognition for his field and for Hungarian mathematicians.
Conferences and Celebrations
In August 2010, a special conference was held in Hungary. It was organized by the Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics. This event celebrated Endre Szemerédi's 70th birthday.
Before the conference, a book was published in his honor. It was called An Irregular Mind. This book was a collection of papers. It celebrated Szemerédi's many achievements. Another conference, the Third Abel Conference, also celebrated his work.
Personal Life
Endre Szemerédi is married to Anna Kepes. They have five children together. Their names are Andrea, Anita, Peter, Kati, and Zsuzsi.
See also
In Spanish: Endre Szemerédi para niños
