Julia Robinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julia Hall Bowman Robinson
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Julia Robinson in 1975
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| Born | December 8, 1919 |
| Died | July 30, 1985 (aged 65) Oakland, California, United States
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| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Known for | Diophantine equations Decidability |
| Spouse(s) | Raphael M. Robinson |
| Awards | Noether Lecture (1982) MacArthur Fellow |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematician |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley |
| Doctoral advisor | Alfred Tarski |
| Influenced | Yuri Matiyasevich |
Julia Hall Bowman Robinson (December 8, 1919 – July 30, 1985) was an amazing American mathematician. She was known for her important work in computability theory and computational complexity theory. These fields study what problems computers can solve and how quickly.
Julia Robinson's most famous work helped solve a very difficult math puzzle called Hilbert's tenth problem. Her research was key to finding the final answer to this problem. She also received a special award called the MacArthur Fellowship in 1983.
Contents
Julia Robinson's Early Life
Julia Robinson was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father owned a company that made machine parts. Her mother was a teacher. Sadly, Julia's mother passed away when Julia was only two years old. Her father later remarried. Julia had an older sister, Constance Reid, who wrote popular math books.
When Julia was nine, she became very sick with scarlet fever, and then rheumatic fever. Because of this, she missed two years of school. When she got better, a retired teacher taught her at home. In just one year, Julia finished the work for fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades!
Even though she once scored a bit below average on an IQ test, Julia was very smart. At San Diego High School, she was the only girl taking advanced math and physics classes. She even won an award for being excellent in science.
In 1936, at age 16, Julia started college at San Diego State University. She wasn't happy with the math classes there. So, in 1939, she moved to the University of California, Berkeley for her last year. She took five math courses there, including one taught by Raphael M. Robinson. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1940. She and Raphael got married in 1941.
Julia Robinson's Math Discoveries
After college, Julia continued her studies at Berkeley. She worked as a teaching assistant in the math department. She also helped in a statistics lab. Her work there led to her first published paper.
In 1948, Julia earned her PhD degree. Her main project was about "Definability and Decision Problems in Arithmetic." She showed that some math problems involving rational numbers (fractions) were "undecidable." This means there's no step-by-step method to solve them.
Solving Hilbert's Tenth Problem
Hilbert's tenth problem was a famous challenge in mathematics. It asked if there was a way to tell if certain equations have whole number solutions. These equations are called Diophantine equations. They only use whole numbers, like 1, 2, 3, and so on.
Julia started working on this problem in 1948. She found ways to represent numbers using Diophantine equations. Her ideas, especially using something called Pell's equation, led to the "J.R. hypothesis" in 1950. This idea was very important for solving the problem.
Her research led her to work with other mathematicians: Martin Davis, Hilary Putnam, and Yuri Matiyasevich. In 1970, they finally solved Hilbert's Tenth Problem. They proved that no such method exists! This means there is no general way to tell if all Diophantine equations have whole number solutions.
Julia continued to work with Matiyasevich after the problem was solved. They found ways to make the solution even simpler.
Julia Robinson and Game Theory
In the late 1940s, Julia also spent time at the RAND Corporation. There, she studied game theory. This is a field of math that looks at how people make decisions when they are competing or cooperating.
In 1949, she wrote a report about the "Travelling salesman problem." This problem asks for the shortest route a salesperson can take to visit many cities and return home. Her report was the first time this phrase was used.
In 1951, she published another paper. In it, she showed a way to solve certain types of games. This method helps players find the best strategy in a game where one player's gain is another's loss.
Teaching at UC Berkeley
When Julia married Raphael M. Robinson in 1941, she wasn't allowed to teach in the math department at Berkeley. This was because of a rule that stopped family members from working in the same department. So, she stayed in the statistics department, even though she really wanted to teach calculus.
Raphael retired in 1973. But it wasn't until 1976 that Julia was offered a full-time teaching job at Berkeley. This happened after the department heard she was nominated for the National Academy of Sciences.
Awards and Recognition
Julia Robinson received many honors for her amazing work. In 1975, she made history. She was the first female mathematician ever chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United States.
She was also chosen to be the first female president of the American Mathematical Society. This was for the years 1983–1984. She found this job challenging but very rewarding. She wanted to encourage other talented women to become mathematicians.
In 1982, Julia gave a special lecture called the Noether Lecture. She also received the MacArthur Fellowship prize, which came with $60,000. In 1985, she became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Julia Robinson's Political Work
In the 1950s, Julia Robinson was active in local politics. She was part of the Democratic Party. She helped with campaigns, like registering voters and knocking on doors. She even managed the campaign for Alan Cranston in Contra Costa County when he first ran for a political office.
Julia also volunteered for Adlai Stevenson II's campaigns when he ran for president.
Death and Legacy
Julia Robinson was diagnosed with leukemia in 1984. She passed away in Oakland, California, on July 30, 1985. She was a very modest person. She asked that there be no funeral service. Instead, she asked people to donate to a fund honoring her teacher, Alfred Tarski.
Her sister, Constance Reid, wrote an article called "The Autobiography of Julia Robinson." It won an award in 1987.
Today, there are events named after her. The Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival helps young people explore math in fun ways. It is sponsored by the American Institute of Mathematics.
A documentary film about Julia Robinson was also made. It is called Julia Robinson and Hilbert's Tenth Problem. It premiered in 2008.
Images for kids
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A robot, symbolizing computation, a field Julia Robinson contributed to.
See also
In Spanish: Julia Robinson para niños
