Frank Adams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Adams
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Adams (right) with Dieter Puppe in 1962
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| Born | 5 November 1930 Woolwich, London, United Kingdom
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| Died | 7 January 1989 (aged 58) Brampton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
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| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Known for | Adams spectral sequence Adams operations Adams conjecture |
| Awards | Berwick Prize (1963) Senior Whitehead Prize (1974) Sylvester Medal (1982) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge |
| Thesis | On Spectral Sequences and Self-Obstruction Invariants (1956) |
| Doctoral advisor | Shaun Wylie |
| Doctoral students | Béla Bollobás Peter Johnstone Andrew Ranicki C. T. C. Wall Lam Siu-por |
John Frank Adams FRS (born November 5, 1930 – died January 7, 1989) was a brilliant British mathematician. He made huge contributions to a field of math called homotopy theory. This area of math helps us understand shapes and spaces in a very deep way.
About Frank Adams
Frank Adams was born in Woolwich, a part of London, England. He went to Bedford School. He started his research studying with Abram Besicovitch. But he soon changed to algebraic topology, which is a branch of mathematics.
He earned his PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1956. His main teacher was Shaun Wylie. Later, Frank Adams became a professor at the University of Manchester from 1964 to 1970. After that, he became a professor at the University of Cambridge until he passed away. In 1964, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very important honor for scientists.
Frank Adams had many interests outside of math. He loved mountaineering, which is climbing mountains. He also enjoyed playing the game of Go.
Sadly, he died in a car crash in Brampton, Cambridgeshire. There is a special plaque in his memory at Trinity College, Cambridge.
His Amazing Math Work
In the 1950s, homotopy theory was a new and exciting field of math. There were many unsolved puzzles. Frank Adams made several important discoveries in algebraic topology. He always worked on specific problems.
He created a powerful tool called the Adams spectral sequence. This tool helps mathematicians solve very difficult problems in stable homotopy theory. He used it to solve the famous Hopf invariant one problem in 1960. This was a big achievement in mathematics.
Adams also helped develop K-theory. He invented something called the Adams operations. These are still used widely in math today. He used these operations to solve another famous puzzle, the vector fields on spheres problem. He also used them to study the Adams conjecture.
In 1974, Frank Adams received the Senior Whitehead Prize. This award came from the London Mathematical Society. He also visited the Institute for Advanced Study in the United States.
Frank Adams taught many talented students. He had a big impact on how algebraic topology grew around the world. His lectures were even published in books.
Recognition
The main math seminar room at the Alan Turing Building in the University of Manchester is named after him. This is to honor his important work.
See also
- Adams filtration
