Shreeram Shankar Abhyankar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shreeram Shankar Abhyankar
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Shreeram Abhyankar (right) with Alexander Grothendieck (left) in Canada, 1970.
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| Born | 22 July 1930 |
| Died | 2 November 2012 (aged 82) West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
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| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Mumbai Harvard University |
| Known for | Abhyankar's conjecture, Abhyankar's lemma, Abhyankar–Moh theorem |
| Awards | Chauvenet Prize (1978) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Purdue University |
| Doctoral advisor | Oscar Zariski |
Shreeram Shankar Abhyankar (born July 22, 1930 – died November 2, 2012) was an amazing Indian American mathematician. He was famous for his work in algebraic geometry, which is a branch of mathematics that uses algebra to study shapes and spaces. At the time of his death, he was a very important professor at Purdue University. He also taught computer science and industrial engineering. He is well-known for something called Abhyankar's conjecture in group theory, which is about how groups of numbers or objects behave.
His later studies focused on using computers and special steps (algorithms) to solve problems in algebraic geometry.
Contents
Becoming a Mathematician
Shreeram Abhyankar was born in a family called Chitpavan Brahmin in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India. He loved learning and earned his first degree (B.Sc.) from the Royal Institute of Science in Mumbai in 1951.
Studying in America
He then moved to the United States to continue his education. He earned his Master's degree (M.A.) from Harvard University in 1952. Just three years later, in 1955, he earned his Ph.D. from Harvard. His main teacher was a famous mathematician named Oscar Zariski. Abhyankar's Ph.D. paper was about how to make complex algebraic shapes simpler.
Before joining Purdue University, he was a professor at Cornell University and Johns Hopkins University.
Work at Purdue University
In 1967, Abhyankar became a special professor at Purdue University. He studied many different areas of mathematics. These included algebraic geometry, especially how to "smooth out" complicated mathematical shapes. He also worked on commutative algebra, which is about how numbers behave when you multiply them.
His work also touched on robotics and computer-aided design. He helped make the Jacobian conjecture more popular. This is a big unsolved problem in mathematics that many mathematicians are still trying to figure out.
His Passing
Shreeram Abhyankar passed away on November 2, 2012. He died from a heart condition at his home near Purdue University.
Awards and Honors
Abhyankar received many awards and special recognitions for his important work.
- He won the Herbert Newby McCoy Award from Purdue University in 1973.
- He became a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences.
- He was on the editorial board for the Indian Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics.
- He received the Chauvenet Prize in 1978 from the Mathematical Association of America. This is a very respected award for excellent mathematical writing.
- The University of Angers in France gave him an honorary doctorate degree in 1998.
- He became a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2012.
See also
- Abhyankar's conjecture
- Abhyankar's inequality
- Abhyankar's lemma
- Abhyankar–Moh theorem
