astronomy

Mehdi Behzad

Mehdi Behzad is a astronomy 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 Mehdi Behzad rather than just read about it. In short: Mehdi Behzad (Persian:مهدی بهزاد; born April 22, 1936) is an Iranian mathematician specializing in graph theory. He introduced his total coloring theory (also known as "Behzad's conjecture" or "the total chromatic number conjecture") during his Ph.D. studies in 1965.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Mehdi Behzad (Persian:مهدی بهزاد; born April 22, 1936) is an Iranian mathematician specializing in graph theory. He introduced his total coloring theory (also known as "Behzad's conjecture" or "the total chromatic number conjecture") during his Ph.D. studies in 1965. Despite the active work during the last 50 years this conjecture remains as challenging as it is open. In fact, Behzad's conjecture now belongs to mathematics’ classic open problems. Behzad has been instrumental in institutionalizing mathematics education and popularization of mathematics in Iran, and has received numerous awards and recognition for his lifetime service to the Iranian scientific community.

Graph theory Behzad is the coauthor of two text books on graph theory published in 1972 and 1979 in the U.S., which were among the key references on this new field of mathematics. He has been one of the direct collaborators of Paul Erdős.

Professorship Behzad was the first faculty member of Sharif University of Technology (Persian:دانشگاه صنعتی شریف), formerly Arya-Mehr University of Technology (Persian: دانشگاه صنعتی آریامهر), who was promoted to full professor in this institution. He was a Senior Fulbright Scholar at Michigan State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the academic year 1974–75, where his research was supported by U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He has taught courses in several universities in the United States and Iran. Although in 1981, he decided to "retire" as a university professor at the age of 45, he has continued to serve the Iranian scientific community in different capacities.

Institutionalizing of basic sciences

Behzad has played an important role in institutionalizing and advancement of basic sciences in his home country of Iran. In recognition of his executive contributions during his lifetime, the Iranian Mathematical Society (Persian: انجمن‌ رياضى‌ ‌اير‌ان‌) has established the Dr. Mehdi Behzad's Award (Persian: جایزه‌ی دکتر مهدی بهزاد), an annual multinational award for recognition of individuals with outstanding leadership role in advancement of mathematics in their respective countries. Behzad's executive contributions include:

A founding member and the first secretary general of Iranian Academy of Sciences, referred to as Imperial Iranian Academy of Sciences, (Persian: فرهنگستان شاهنشاهی علوم ایران) before Iran's revolution, consisting of internationally renowned Iranian elites in the fields of Basic Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Agriculture, and Liberal Arts and Anthropology, 1975–1979. A founding member and the first president of Iranian Mathematical Society (IMS) (Persian: انجمن‌ رياضى‌ ‌اير‌ان‌), the first registered scientific society in Iran and arguably one of the most active ones. He led IMS as its president from 1971 to 1973 and later on from 1997 to 2003 for two additional terms. A founding member of Foundation for Advancement of Science and Technology in Iran (Persian: بنياد بيشبرد علم و فن ﺁورى در ايران). A founding member of Council for Iranian Scientific Societies (Persian: شوراى انجمن هاى علمي ايران). A founding member and vice chancellor at Reza Shah-e-Kabir University (Persian: دانشكاه رضاشاه كبير) since inception in 1976 till 1979. This was the first university in Iran, and arguably in the Middle East, which admitted Ph.D. students in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and anthropology. Despite the extensive planning and collaboration with Harvard University, the ambitious goals of this institution was never achieved due to the post-revolutionary circumstances in the country. Chairman at School of Mathematical Sciences at Arya-Mehr University of Technology (Persian: دانشگاه صنعتی آریامهر), currently Sharif University of Technology (Persian: دانشگاه صنعتی شریف) from 1971 to 1973. A member of the Academy of Sciences of Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: فرهنگستان علوم جمهورى اسلامى ایران) since 2002.

Popularization of mathematics Behzad's contributions to popularization of mathematics in Iranian scientific community include:

A founding member of Iranian Society for Popularization of Sciences (Persian: انجمن تروىج علم ايران). A founding member of Council for Mathematics Houses of Iran (Persian: شوراى خانه هاى رىاضيات ايران). Award-winning translation of two calculus text books into Persian (جاىزه كتاب سال دانشكاه تهران و جاىزه كتاب سال جمهورى اسلامى ايران). Both books are currently taught nationwide in Iranian universities. Coauthor of a text book, entitled Pre-University Discrete Mathematics (Persian: رياضيات كسسته بيش دانشكاهى), currently taught in Iranian high schools nationwide. Coauthor of a play script entitled, The Legend of the King and the Mathematician - Helping Youth Create Mathematics, a book endorsed by the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO as a work which brings together “the art of play-writing, traditional and indigenous culture and the science of Mathematics”.

Awards and recognitions Behzad has been interviewed repeatedly by the national TV, radio, and newspapers. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his contributions such as:

Nationally honored as Prominent Figure of Mathematics in Iran, (Persian: جهره ماندكار رياضيات كشور). Recipient of the national Alame Tabatabyi Award (Persian: جايزه علامه طباطبايى) as the Outstanding Professor of National Elite Foundation (Persian: استاد برجسته بنياد ملى نخبكان) in 2011. ...needs to be completed...

Books M. Behzad and G. Chartrand, Introduction to the Theory of Graphs, Allyn and Bacon, 1971, 271 pages. M. Behzad, G. Chartrand, and L. Lesniak, Graphs & Digraphs, Wadsworth, Inc., 1979, 406 pages. M. Behzad, Graphs and Their Chromatic Numbers, Michigan State University, Department of Mathematics, 1965, 124 pages.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mehdi Behzad

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mehdi Behzad claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, 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 Mehdi Behzad 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 Mehdi Behzad 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 Mehdi Behzad

In research: Mehdi Behzad appears in astronomy 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 Mehdi Behzad 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: Mehdi Behzad is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1936 births, Academic staff of Sharif University of Technology, Academic staff of Shiraz University, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mehdi Behzad 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 Mehdi Behzad in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Mehdi Behzad in simple terms?

Why does Mehdi Behzad matter?

Because it connects several astronomy 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 Mehdi Behzad?

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 Mehdi Behzad.