mathematics

Gustave Solomon

Gustave Solomon is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gustave Solomon rather than just read about it. In short: Gustave Solomon (October 27, 1930 – January 31, 1996) was an American mathematician and electrical engineer who was one of the founders of the algebraic theory of error detection and correction. Career Solomon completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1956 under direction of Kenkichi Iwasawa.

Key takeaways

Gustave Solomon belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Gustave Solomon to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gustave Solomon from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Gustave Solomon (October 27, 1930 – January 31, 1996) was an American mathematician and electrical engineer who was one of the founders of the algebraic theory of error detection and correction.

Career Solomon completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1956 under direction of Kenkichi Iwasawa. Solomon was best known for developing, along with Irving S. Reed, the algebraic error correction and detection codes named the Reed–Solomon codes. These codes protect the integrity of digital information, and they have had widespread use in modern digital storage and communications, ranging from deep space communications down to the digital audio compact disc. Solomon was also one of the co-creators of the Mattson–Solomon polynomial and the Solomon–McEliece weight formulas. He received IEEE Masaru Ibuka Award along with Irving Reed in 1995. In his later years, Solomon consulted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena, California.

Personal life Gustave Solomon was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, the son of Philip and Mollie Solomon. He graduated from Talmudical Academy High School of Manhattan and went on to receive a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Yeshiva University in 1951 and a doctorate, also in mathematics, from M.I.T. in 1956. Solomon was very interested in opera and in theater, and he even wanted to get minor acting parts himself, perhaps in television commercials. Between his assignments in the Communications Research Section at JPL, he taught foreign-born engineers and scientists English by exposing them to music from American musical productions. He believed in enhancing health and the feelings of well-being through breathing exercises, and he was a practitioner of the Feldenkrais method. Solomon used the mind-body connection philosophy of the Feldenkrais method to teach voice lessons. He had a strong love for music, and was a composer as well. Solomon was survived by one daughter.

References

External links New York Times obituary Gustave Solomon IEEE Information Theory Society obituary Gus Solomon, 1930–1996 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine by Robert McEliece Gustave Solomon at the Mathematics Genealogy Project

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gustave Solomon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gustave Solomon claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gustave Solomon before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gustave Solomon ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gustave Solomon

In research: Gustave Solomon appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Gustave Solomon in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Gustave Solomon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1930 births, 1996 deaths, 20th-century American mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gustave Solomon outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Gustave Solomon in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gustave Solomon means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Gustave Solomon out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gustave Solomon in simple terms?

Gustave Solomon (October 27, 1930 – January 31, 1996) was an American mathematician and electrical engineer who was one of the founders of the algebraic theory of error detection and correction. Career Solomon completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1956 u…

Why does Gustave Solomon matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gustave Solomon?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gustave Solomon.