mathematics

Richard Davis Anderson

Richard Davis Anderson 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 Richard Davis Anderson rather than just read about it. In short: Richard Davis Anderson Sr. (February 17, 1922 – March 4, 2008) was an American mathematician known internationally for his work in infinite-dimensional topology.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Richard Davis Anderson Sr. (February 17, 1922 – March 4, 2008) was an American mathematician known internationally for his work in infinite-dimensional topology. Much of his early work focused on proofs surrounding Hilbert space and Hilbert cubes.

Life Richard Anderson and his twin brother, John, were born February 17, 1922, in Hamden, Connecticut. He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Minnesota in 1941, after just two years of study. He went on to graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied under R. L. Moore. His graduate work was interrupted by World War II. Two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United States Navy. During his term in the U. S. Navy, he served on the USS Rocky Mount. After returning from the war, he finished his doctoral work at the University of Texas and went on to teach mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania, where he went through the ranks of instructor, assistant professor, and associate professor (from 1951 to 1956). During this time he also spent two years (the academic years 1951–1952 and 1955–1956) at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He then accepted a post at Louisiana State University, where he became the university's first Boyd Professor of mathematics. Boyd Professor is Louisiana State University's highest professor rank.

Accomplishments Served as vice president of the American Mathematical Society in 1972 and 1973. Served as president of the Mathematical Association of America in 1981 and 1982. Served as chair of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents in 1984. Received the Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics from the Mathematical Association of America in 1978. Received the Bolzano Medal from the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1981. Invited lectures at conferences and colloquia in many places in the US and in cities of 21 other countries. Invited Speaker at the ICM in 1970 in Nice

References

Further reading Straley, Tina; et al. (May–June 2008). "Remembering Richard Anderson" (PDF). MAA Focus. 28 (5). Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America: 26–28. ISSN 0731-2040. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 30, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2009. Interview with Anderson and reminiscences from his colleagues.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Richard Davis Anderson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Richard Davis Anderson 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 Richard Davis Anderson 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 Richard Davis Anderson 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 Richard Davis Anderson

In research: Richard Davis Anderson 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 Richard Davis Anderson 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: Richard Davis Anderson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1922 births, 2008 deaths, 20th-century American mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Richard Davis Anderson 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 Richard Davis Anderson in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Richard Davis Anderson in simple terms?

Richard Davis Anderson Sr. (February 17, 1922 – March 4, 2008) was an American mathematician known internationally for his work in infinite-dimensional topology.

Why does Richard Davis Anderson 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 Richard Davis Anderson?

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 Richard Davis Anderson.