mathematics

Marie-Françoise Roy

Marie-Françoise Roy 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 Marie-Françoise Roy rather than just read about it. In short: Marie-Françoise Roy (born 28 April 1950 in Paris) is a French mathematician noted for her work in real algebraic geometry. She has been Professor of Mathematics at the University of Rennes 1 since 1985 and in 2009 was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Marie-Françoise Roy (born 28 April 1950 in Paris) is a French mathematician noted for her work in real algebraic geometry. She has been Professor of Mathematics at the University of Rennes 1 since 1985 and in 2009 was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour. In 2004, she received an Irène Joliot-Curie Prize.

Research Roy works in real algebraic geometry in particular real spectra and, most recently, in complexity of algorithms in real algebraic geometry and also the applications.

Education and career Marie-Françoise Roy got her education at École Normale Supérieure de jeunes filles and was an assistant professor at Université Paris Nord during 1973. She received her PhD at Université Paris Nord in 1980, supervised by Jean Bénabou. From 1981 she spent two years at Abdou Moumouni University in Niger. In 1985 she became a professor at University of Rennes 1 in Rennes, France.

Service Roy was president of Société Mathématique de France from 2004 to 2007. In 1986, Roy was one of the founders of European Women in Mathematics (EWM), and was the convenor (president) of EWM 2009–2013. In 1987 she co-founded the French organization for women in mathematics, Femmes et Mathématiques, and became the organization's first president. Roy is scientific officer for Sub-Saharan Africa in Centre International de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées, CIMPA. Roy is president of Association d'Echanges Culturels Cesson Dankassari (Tarbiyya-Tatali) an organization working for joint activities in a commune Dan-Cassari in Niger and the French commune Cesson-Sévigné.

Honours and awards In December 2022, Roy was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science (DSc) by the University of Bath. The award recognises Marie-Françoise's work both in algebraic geometry, but also 'as a leading activist for the cause of women in mathematics, and [as] one of the most prominent and effective advocates for African mathematics.'

Selected publications with Saugata Basu, Richard Pollack: Algorithms in real algebraic geometry. Springer 2003.pdf-file freely available on author's homepage Archived 2012-01-09 at the Wayback Machine with Jacek Bochnak, Michel Coste: Real algebraic geometry. 2.Edition, Springer, Ergebnisse der Mathematik Bd. 36, 1998 (first in French 1. Edition 1987). Three Problems in real algebraic geometry and their descendants. In: Engquist, Schmid: Mathematics unlimited- 2001 and beyond. Springer Verlag 2000, S. 991 (Hilberts 17th Problem, Algorithms, Topology of real algebraic varieties). Géométrie algébrique réelle. In: Jean-Paul Pier (Hrsg.): Development of Mathematics 1950-2000. Birkhäuser 2000. Introduction a la geometrie algebrique reelle, Cahiers Sem. Hist. Math., 1991, Online

References

External links Homepage International Center Scientific Research Homepage in Rennes

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marie-Françoise Roy

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marie-Françoise Roy 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 Marie-Françoise Roy 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 Marie-Françoise Roy 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 Marie-Françoise Roy

In research: Marie-Françoise Roy 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 Marie-Françoise Roy 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: Marie-Françoise Roy is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1950 births, 20th-century French mathematicians, 20th-century French women mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marie-Françoise Roy 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 Marie-Françoise Roy in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marie-Françoise Roy 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 Marie-Françoise Roy out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marie-Françoise Roy in simple terms?

Why does Marie-Françoise Roy 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 Marie-Françoise Roy?

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 Marie-Françoise Roy.