James H. Wilkinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Wilkinson
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| Born |
James Hardy Wilkinson
27 September 1919 Strood, England
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| Died | 5 October 1986 (aged 67) Teddington, England
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| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
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| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Numerical analysis Numerical linear algebra |
| Institutions | National Physical Laboratory |
James Hardy Wilkinson FRS (27 September 1919 – 5 October 1986) was a very important British expert in a field called numerical analysis. This area of math focuses on finding approximate solutions to complex problems using numbers and computers. He also worked in numerical linear algebra, which is a part of numerical analysis that deals with solving systems of linear equations.
Wilkinson is remembered for his big contributions to computer science and mathematics. Two important ideas named after him are the "Wilkinson matrix" and "Wilkinson's polynomial." These are special math problems that help test how well computer programs can solve equations.
He also has two awards named after him: the "James H. Wilkinson Prize in Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing" and the "J. H. Wilkinson Prize for Numerical Software." These prizes are given to people who do excellent work in his field.
Career in Computing
James Wilkinson started working at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in 1946. The NPL is a very important science center in the United Kingdom. While he was there, he worked with another famous computer scientist, Alan Turing. Turing is known as the "father of theoretical computer science" and artificial intelligence.
Wilkinson became very interested in numerical analysis. He spent a lot of time figuring out how to make computers solve math problems more accurately and efficiently. He discovered many great algorithms, which are like step-by-step instructions that computers follow to solve problems. His work helped make computers much better at doing complex calculations.
For his amazing work, James Wilkinson received several important awards. In 1970, he won the Turing Award, which is one of the highest honors in computer science, often called the "Nobel Prize of computing." He also became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1969, which is a very prestigious group of scientists in the UK.
See also
- In Spanish: James H. Wilkinson para niños
