computer science

Martin Fürer

Martin Fürer is a computer science 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 Martin Fürer rather than just read about it. In short: Martin Fürer is a Swiss Computer Scientist and a professor of Computer Science at Pennsylvania State University. He is mostly known for his work on fast integer multiplication.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Martin Fürer is a Swiss Computer Scientist and a professor of Computer Science at Pennsylvania State University. He is mostly known for his work on fast integer multiplication.

Research and career One of Fürer's notable results is his fast integer multiplication algorithm STOC presented in 2007 and published in 2009 (Fürer (2009)). His main research is on Graph Theory Algorithms, Approximation Algorithms, Fixed Parameter Tractable Algorithm, and Computational Complexity. He obtained his PhD in Mathematics from ETH Zurich in 1978 under supervision of Ernst P. Specker and has been a faculty member at Pennsylvania State University since 1987. He is on the editorial board of Journal of Graph Algorithms and Applications and Information and Computation.

Selected publications Fürer, Martin (2009), "Faster Integer Multiplication", SIAM Journal on Computing, vol. 39, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), pp. 979–1005, doi:10.1137/070711761

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Martin Fürer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Martin Fürer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, 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 Martin Fürer 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 Martin Fürer 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 Martin Fürer

In research: Martin Fürer appears in computer science 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 Martin Fürer 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: Martin Fürer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer scientist stubs, ETH Zurich alumni, Living people, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Martin Fürer 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 Martin Fürer in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Martin Fürer in simple terms?

Martin Fürer is a Swiss Computer Scientist and a professor of Computer Science at Pennsylvania State University. He is mostly known for his work on fast integer multiplication.

Why does Martin Fürer matter?

Because it connects several computer science 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 Martin Fürer?

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 Martin Fürer.