mathematics

Thomas Kappeler

Thomas Kappeler 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 Thomas Kappeler rather than just read about it. In short: Thomas Kappeler (12 February 1953 – 30 May 2022) was a Swiss mathematician and professor at the University of Zurich. Kappeler's main research was in global analysis, partial differential equations and dynamical systems in infinite dimensions.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Thomas Kappeler (12 February 1953 – 30 May 2022) was a Swiss mathematician and professor at the University of Zurich. Kappeler's main research was in global analysis, partial differential equations and dynamical systems in infinite dimensions. Kappeler co-founded the Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics, a joint doctoral program of the Mathematics departments of ETH Zurich and University of Zurich. He also actively supported young kids with talent in mathematics. He was the co-leader of the children's math club Junior Euler Society.

Life Kappeler studied mathematics at ETH Zurich, where he did his Ph.D. in 1981 under the supervision of Corneliu Constantinescu. He was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania, Brandeis University and Brown University. He was a professor at Ohio State University from 1990 till 1996. After that he became a mathematics professor at University of Zurich.

Selected publications Kappeler published more than 150 research articles. He also published two books on partial differential equations.

Craig, Walter; Kappeler, Thomas; Strauss, Walter (1995). "Microlocal dispersive smoothing for the Schrödinger equation". Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics. 48 (8): 769–860. doi:10.1002/cpa.3160480802. Burghelea, Dan; Friedlander, Leonid; Kappeler, Thomas (1992). "Mayer-Vietoris type formula for determinants of elliptic differential operators". Journal of Functional Analysis. 107 (1): 34–65. doi:10.1016/0022-1236(92)90099-5. Kappeler, Thomas; Perry, Peter A.; Shubin, Mikhail A.; Topalov, Peter (2005). "The Miura map on the line" (PDF). International Mathematics Research Notices. 2005 (50): 3091–3133. doi:10.1155/IMRN.2005.3091. S2CID 9065483.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) Kappeler, Thomas; Topalov, Peter (1 November 2006). "Global wellposedness of KdV in H−1(T,R)". Duke Mathematical Journal. 135 (2): 327–360. doi:10.1215/S0012-7094-06-13524-X. Kappeler, Thomas; Pöschel, Jürgen (2009). "On the periodic KdV equation in weighted Sobolev spaces". Annales de l'Institut Henri Poincaré C. 26 (3): 841–853. Bibcode:2009AIHPC..26..841K. doi:10.1016/j.anihpc.2008.03.004. Henrici, Andreas; Kappeler, Thomas (2009). "Nekhoroshev theorem for the periodic Toda lattice". Chaos. 19 (3): 033120. arXiv:0812.4912. Bibcode:2009Chaos..19c3120H. doi:10.1063/1.3196783. PMID 19792000. S2CID 18290712. Cohen, Daniel C.; Costa, Armindo; Farber, Michael; Kappeler, Thomas (2012). "Topology of Random 2-Complexes". Discrete & Computational Geometry. 47 (1): 117–149. arXiv:1006.4229. doi:10.1007/s00454-011-9378-0. MR 2886093. S2CID 254038254.

Books Kappeler, Thomas; Pöschel, Jürgen (2003). KdV & KAM. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-08054-2. ISBN 978-3-540-02234-3. Grébert, Benoît; Kappeler, Thomas (2014). The Defocusing NLS Equation and Its Normal Form. doi:10.4171/131. ISBN 978-3-03719-131-6.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thomas Kappeler

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thomas Kappeler 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 Thomas Kappeler 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 Thomas Kappeler 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 Thomas Kappeler

In research: Thomas Kappeler 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 Thomas Kappeler 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: Thomas Kappeler is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1953 births, 2022 deaths, 20th-century Swiss mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thomas Kappeler 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 Thomas Kappeler in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Thomas Kappeler in simple terms?

Why does Thomas Kappeler 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 Thomas Kappeler?

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 Thomas Kappeler.