Leetsch C. Hsu facts for kids
Leetsch Charles Hsu (born Xu Lizhi; September 23, 1920 – March 11, 2019) was a famous Chinese mathematician and teacher. He helped start the math department at Jilin University. He also created the Institute of Applied Mathematics and a math journal at the Dalian University of Technology. With American mathematician Henry W. Gould, he developed the important Gould–Hsu Matrix Inversion Formula in 1973.
Early Life and School
Leetsch Charles Hsu was born on September 23, 1920. His birthplace was Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, in China. His first name was Xu Quanyong (徐泉涌).
Before a big war started, Hsu went to Jiangsu Provincial Luoshe Normal School. In 1940, he passed a tough test to get into a special university. This university was called National Southwestern Associated University. It was formed by famous schools like Tsinghua in Kunming.
He studied mathematics there. Two of his teachers were very famous mathematicians, Hua Luogeng and Pao-Lu Hsu. After he graduated in 1945, the university hired him. He worked as a teaching assistant for Hua Luogeng.
His Career Journey
After the war ended in 1946, the special university closed. Hsu then joined Tsinghua University in Beijing. This university had reopened.
In 1949, Hsu won a scholarship from the British Council. This allowed him to study in the United Kingdom for two years. He spent his first year at the University of Aberdeen. His second year was spent at the famous University of Cambridge.
In 1951, Hsu returned to China. He became an associate professor of mathematics at Tsinghua University. He also taught part-time at Beijing Normal University. In 1952, Hsu moved to Changchun. He helped start the Department of Mathematics at Northeast People's University. This school later became Jilin University. He was the deputy head of this new department.
He became a full professor in 1956. He also started the study of computational mathematics at the university.
In 1980, Hsu moved to the Dalian University of Technology. There, he started the Institute of Applied Mathematics. He also created a math journal called Journal of Mathematical Research and Exposition. He was the main editor of this journal. He also led the Mathematics Department at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
From 1986 to 1987, he was a visiting professor in the United States. He taught at Texas A&M University. He was also named an Honorary Dean at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In 2009, Dalian University of Technology honored him. They called him one of their most important teachers ever.
Important Contributions
Hsu made many important discoveries in mathematics. He worked on areas like asymptotic analysis, approximation theory, and combinatorics. These are all different branches of math.
He started working with an American mathematician, Henry W. Gould, in 1965. This was many years before the US and China officially became friends. Their teamwork led to a big discovery in 1973. They created the Gould–Hsu Matrix Inversion Formula. This formula is very important for solving complex math problems. It helps with something called combinatorial identities.
Hsu wrote over 170 research papers. He also published more than 10 math books. He guided 20 students who were getting their highest degrees in math. He won many awards both in China and around the world for his work.
His Passing
Leetsch Charles Hsu passed away in Beijing on March 11, 2019. He was 98 years old.
