mathematics

John E. Osborn (mathematician)

John E. Osborn (mathematician) 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 John E. Osborn (mathematician) rather than just read about it. In short: John E. Osborn (July 12, 1936 – May 30, 2011) was an American mathematician.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

John E. Osborn (July 12, 1936 – May 30, 2011) was an American mathematician. He obtained B.S. (1958), M.S. (1963), and Ph.D. (1965) degrees at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. His Ph.D. adviser was Hans Weinberger. Osborn made fundamental contributions to computational mathematics, especially to the theory of numerical solution of partial differential equations, eigenvalue approximations, and the finite element method. He also co-authored several textbooks on differential equations and numerical computation with the goal of introducing computation into sophomore level differential equations courses. Osborn held a faculty position at the University of Maryland, College Park his entire career, from 1965 until retiring in 2008. By 1975 he was a full professor, and took on the role of Mathematics Chair in 1982–1985. He served as acting or interim dean for two years, 1989–90 and 1998–99. He also held many visiting positions worldwide. He was a frequent collaborator and coauthor of Ivo Babuška. The Memorial Service for Osborn took place at the University of Maryland's Memorial Chapel on September 21, 2011. John E. Osborn supervised four PhD students.

Notes

Selected references Osborn, J.; Robinson, A.; Hsiao, C. C. (1960), "Effect of orientation on strength of model solid", J. Appl. Phys., 31 (9): 1602–1604, Bibcode:1960JAP....31.1602R, doi:10.1063/1.1735900 Babuska, Ivo; Osborn, John E. (1991), "Eigenvalue Problems", Handbook of Numerical Analysis, vol. II, pp. 641–784, doi:10.1016/s1570-8659(05)80042-0, ISBN 9780444703651 Coombes, K.; Hunt, B.; Lipsman, R.; Osborn, John E.; Stuck, G. (2000), Differential equations with MATLAB, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Babuska, Ivo; Banerjee, Uday; Osborn, John E. (2003), "Survey of meshless and generalized finite element methods", Acta Numerica, 12: 1–125, doi:10.1017/S0962492902000090 Babuska, Ivo; Banerjee, Uday; Osborn, John E. (2004), "Generalized Finite Element Method – Main Ideas, Results, and Perspective", International Journal of Computational Methods, 1 (1): 67–103, doi:10.1142/S0219876204000083 Bourne, David; Elman, Howard; Osborn, John E. (2009), "A non-self-adjoint quadratic eigenvalue problem describing a fluid-solid interaction. {II}. {A}nalysis of convergence", Commun. Pure Appl. Anal., 8 (1): 143–160, doi:10.3934/cpaa.2009.8.143

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John E. Osborn (mathematician)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John E. Osborn (mathematician) 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 John E. Osborn (mathematician) 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 John E. Osborn (mathematician) 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 John E. Osborn (mathematician)

In research: John E. Osborn (mathematician) 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 John E. Osborn (mathematician) 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: John E. Osborn (mathematician) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1936 births, 2011 deaths, 20th-century American mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John E. Osborn (mathematician) 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 John E. Osborn (mathematician) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what John E. Osborn (mathematician) means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is John E. Osborn (mathematician) in simple terms?

John E. Osborn (July 12, 1936 – May 30, 2011) was an American mathematician.

Why does John E. Osborn (mathematician) 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 John E. Osborn (mathematician)?

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 John E. Osborn (mathematician).