computer science

Richard Fateman

Richard Fateman 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 Richard Fateman rather than just read about it. In short: Richard J Fateman (born November 4, 1946) is a professor emeritus of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He received a BS in Physics and Mathematics from Union College in June, 1966, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University in June, 1971.

Key takeaways

Richard Fateman 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 Richard Fateman to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Richard Fateman from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Richard J Fateman (born November 4, 1946) is a professor emeritus of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He received a BS in Physics and Mathematics from Union College in June, 1966, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University in June, 1971. He was a major contributor to the Macsyma computer algebra system at MIT and later to the Franz Lisp system. His current interests include scientific programming environments; computer algebra systems; distributed computing; analysis of algorithms; programming and measurement of large systems; design and implementation of programming languages; and optical character recognition. In 1999, he was inducted as a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery. Richard Fateman is the father of musician Johanna Fateman.

References

External links Home page. Richard Jay Fateman at the Mathematics Genealogy Project

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Richard Fateman

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Richard Fateman 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 Richard Fateman 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 Fateman 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 Fateman

In research: Richard Fateman 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 Richard Fateman 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 Fateman is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1946 births, Amateur radio people, Computer scientist stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Richard Fateman 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 Fateman in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Richard Fateman in simple terms?

Why does Richard Fateman 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 Richard Fateman?

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 Fateman.