Richard Askey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Askey
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Richard Askey in 1977
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| Born |
Richard Allen Askey
June 4, 1933 |
| Died | October 9, 2019 (aged 86) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Washington University in St. Louis Harvard University Princeton University |
| Known for | Askey–Wilson polynomials Askey–Gasper inequality |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Chicago University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| Doctoral advisor | Salomon Bochner |
| Doctoral students | James A. Wilson |
Richard Allen Askey (born June 4, 1933 – died October 9, 2019) was an American mathematician. He was famous for his work with "special functions." These are specific math functions that show up often in different areas of science and engineering.
Askey helped create the Askey–Wilson polynomials in 1984 with James A. Wilson. These polynomials are a key part of the "Askey scheme," which is like a family tree for certain types of math functions. His work also included the Askey–Gasper inequality. This important math rule helped solve a big math problem called the Bieberbach conjecture.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Richard Askey grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He loved learning and went to several top universities. He earned his first degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1955.
He then continued his studies at Harvard University, getting a master's degree in 1956. Later, he earned his Ph.D. (a very high degree) from Princeton University in 1961.
Career and Achievements
After finishing his studies, Askey taught at Washington University and the University of Chicago. In 1963, he joined the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He became a full professor there in 1968. He taught at Wisconsin until 2003, when he became a professor emeritus. This means he was still connected to the university after retiring.
Askey received many honors for his work.
- In 1969, he was a Guggenheim Fellow. He spent this year studying in Amsterdam.
- He gave an important talk at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Warsaw in 1983.
- He was chosen as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1993.
- In 1999, he became a member of the National Academy of Sciences. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United States.
- He was also a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) in 2009.
- In 2012, he became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.
- He received an honorary doctorate from SASTRA University in India in 2012.
Understanding Hypergeometric Functions
Richard Askey helped explain why "hypergeometric functions" are so common in math. He said that a famous mathematician named Bernhard Riemann showed something important. If a math problem has certain simple "singular points," it often leads to a hypergeometric equation.
This means that these special functions naturally appear in many different math problems. They are like a basic building block that comes up again and again.
Views on Math Education
Askey was also very interested in how math is taught in American schools. He often shared his ideas and wrote articles about it. One of his well-known articles was called Good Intentions are not Enough. He believed that good teaching methods were essential for students to truly understand math.
See also
- Askey–Bateman project
Images for kids
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Richard Askey in 1977
