Frederick Valentine Atkinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frederick Valentine Atkinson
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| Born | 25 January 1916 Pinner, England
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| Died | 13 November 2002 (aged 86) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
| Known for | Atkinson's theorem Atkinson–Wilcox theorem Atkinson–Mingarelli theorem |
| Awards | Von Humboldt Research Award Makdougall-Brisbane Prize |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Oxford University of Ibadan University of Toronto |
| Doctoral advisor | Edward Charles Titchmarsh |
| Doctoral students |
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Frederick Valentine Atkinson (born January 25, 1916 – died November 13, 2002) was a smart British mathematician. People often called him "Derick." He spent most of his working life in Canada at the University of Toronto. Two important ideas in math, Atkinson's theorem and the Atkinson–Wilcox theorem, are named after him.
Early Life and Amazing Brain
Frederick Atkinson went to St Paul's School, London from 1929 to 1934. His teachers knew he was very bright. One of them even said he would be a "brilliant mathematician"!
In 1934, he won a scholarship to The Queen's College, Oxford. While studying there, he was involved in student groups, like the Chinese Student Society.
Frederick was also amazing at learning languages all by himself. He became fluent in many, including Latin, Ancient Greek, German, and Russian. He even knew some Spanish, Italian, and French!
He finished his PhD at Oxford University in 1939. His research included important work on the Riemann zeta function, which is a complex idea in math.
A Career Full of Discoveries
Frederick Atkinson started his career at Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1939. Then, in 1940, he joined the Government Code and Cypher School. This was a secret place called Bletchley Park. During World War II, very clever people worked there to break secret codes. This work helped the Allies win the war.
After Bletchley Park, he became a lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford. From 1948 to 1955, he was a full professor and Dean of Arts at University College, Ibadan in Nigeria.
In 1955, he moved to Canberra University College in Australia. He led the math department there. Finally, in 1960, he came to the University of Toronto in Canada. He was a professor there until he retired in 1982. He continued as a Professor Emeritus until he passed away in 2002.
Awards and Special Honors
Frederick Atkinson received many honors for his important work in mathematics. Here are some of them:
- He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1967. This is a big honor for Canadian scholars.
- He won the Royal Society of Edinburgh's Makdougall-Brisbane Prize between 1974 and 1976.
- He was the 29th President of the Canadian Mathematical Society from 1989 to 1991.
- In 1992, he won an Alexander Von Humboldt Research Award. This award recognizes excellent scientists.
