Roger Heath-Brown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roger Heath-Brown
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Heath-Brown in 1986
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| Born | 12 October 1952 |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Known for | Analytic number theory, Heath-Brown–Moroz constant |
| Awards | Smith's Prize (1976) Berwick Prize (1981) Fellow of the Royal Society (1993) Senior Berwick Prize (1996) Pólya Prize (2009) Sylvester Medal (2022) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Pure mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Oxford |
| Thesis | Topics in Analytic Number Theory (1979) |
| Doctoral advisor | Alan Baker |
| Doctoral students | Timothy Browning James Maynard |
Roger Heath-Brown is a famous British mathematician. He works in a field called analytic number theory. This area of math uses tools from mathematical analysis to study integers and prime numbers.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Roger Heath-Brown was born on October 12, 1952. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, which is a part of the University of Cambridge. There, he earned both his first degree and his advanced degree. His main teacher and guide for his research was a mathematician named Alan Baker.
Career and Important Discoveries
In 1979, Roger Heath-Brown moved to the University of Oxford. He became a professor of pure mathematics there in 1999. He worked at the university until he retired in 2016.
What is Analytic Number Theory?
Analytic number theory is a branch of number theory. It uses tools from mathematical analysis to solve problems about integers. For example, it helps mathematicians understand how prime numbers are spread out.
Key Mathematical Achievements
Heath-Brown is known for solving many difficult math problems. Here are some of his important discoveries:
- Prime Numbers: He proved that there are an endless number of prime numbers that can be written in a special way, like x3 + 2y3. This was a big step in understanding prime numbers.
- Cubic Forms: He showed that certain complex math equations, called non-singular cubic forms, can always be solved. This is true if they have at least ten variables.
- Linnik's Constant: He also helped to make a number called Linnik's constant smaller. This constant is important for understanding how far apart prime numbers can be.
- The Determinant Method: More recently, he developed a new way to solve problems called the "determinant method." He used this method to prove a guess made by another mathematician, Serre, in 2002. This guess was later called the "dimension growth conjecture."
Awards and Recognition
Roger Heath-Brown has received many awards for his important work in mathematics.
Awards from the London Mathematical Society
The London Mathematical Society has given him several honors:
- The Junior Berwick Prize in 1981.
- The Senior Berwick Prize in 1996.
- The Pólya Prize in 2009.
Other Major Honors
- He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1993. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom.
- In 1999, he became a member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences.
- He was asked to speak at the International Congress of Mathematicians twice. These big meetings were in Warsaw in 1983 and Hyderabad in 2010. He spoke about "Number Theory."
- In 2012, he became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.
- In 2022, the Royal Society gave him the Sylvester Medal. This award was for his many important contributions to understanding prime numbers and solving equations with whole numbers.
- In 2024, he was given the title Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This was for his great work in mathematics and research.
Other Contributions
In 2007, Roger Heath-Brown helped write the introduction for a new edition of a famous math book. The book is called An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers. It was written by G.H. Hardy and E.M. Wright. He wrote the introduction with Joseph H. Silverman.
Images for kids
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Heath-Brown in 1986
