mathematics

Ronald Solomon

Ronald Solomon 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 Ronald Solomon rather than just read about it. In short: Ronald "Ron" Mark Solomon (b. 15 December 1948) is an American mathematician specializing in the theory of finite groups. Solomon studied as an undergraduate at Queens College and received a PhD in 1971 at Yale University under Walter Feit with the thesis Finite Groups with Sylow 2-Subgroups of the Type of the Alternating Group on Twelve Letters.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Ronald "Ron" Mark Solomon (b. 15 December 1948) is an American mathematician specializing in the theory of finite groups. Solomon studied as an undergraduate at Queens College and received a PhD in 1971 at Yale University under Walter Feit with the thesis Finite Groups with Sylow 2-Subgroups of the Type of the Alternating Group on Twelve Letters. In 1972, he began his participation in the classification program for finite simple groups, after hearing a lecture by Daniel Gorenstein. He was for two years an instructor at the University of Chicago and the academic year 1974–1975 at Rutgers University, before he became a professor at Ohio State University, where he has remained. In 2006, he received the Levi L. Conant Prize and in 2012 the Leroy P. Steele Prize. In 2012, he was elected a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. With Daniel Gorenstein and Richard Lyons he wrote, and is continuing to write now with Inna Capdeboscq, a series on the second-generation proof of the classification program for finite simple groups. Ten volumes of this series have been published so far.

Works with Daniel Gorenstein, Richard Lyons: The classification of the finite simple groups, American Mathematical Society, 9 Volumes, 1994–2021 Solomon "A brief history of the classification of finite simple groups", Bull. of the AMS, Vol.38, No. 3, 2001, pdf file (paper that won the Conant Prize for 2006) Abstract algebra, Belmont/California, Thompson Brooks/Cole 2003

References

External links Homepage Announcement of Conant Prizes for 2006, pdf File Ronald Solomon at the Mathematics Genealogy Project

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ronald Solomon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ronald Solomon 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 Ronald Solomon 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 Ronald Solomon 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 Ronald Solomon

In research: Ronald Solomon 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 Ronald Solomon 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: Ronald Solomon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1948 births, 20th-century American mathematicians, 21st-century American mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ronald Solomon 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 Ronald Solomon in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Ronald Solomon in simple terms?

Why does Ronald Solomon 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 Ronald Solomon?

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 Ronald Solomon.