E. M. Wright
Encyclopedia
Sir Edward Maitland Wright (13 February 1906, Farnley – 2 February 2005, Reading
) was an English
mathematician
.
He is best known for co-authoring “Hardy and Wright”, An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers, with G. H. Hardy
(1938).
After obtaining a self-taught first-class mathematics degree as an external student at the University of London
, Wright studied at Jesus College, Oxford
and Christ Church, Oxford
. His research career lasted from 1931 until the early 1980s, and he was a professor at the University of Aberdeen
in 1936-1962, and Principal 1962-1976. A building there is named after him in recognition of his service to the university. Wright worked in many different areas, including number theory
and graph theory
, and published over a hundred papers. Most of his work focused on analytic number theory
.
He was knighted in 1977, and awarded the Senior Berwick Prize
and the Gold Medal of the Order of Polonia Resituta in 1978.
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
.
He is best known for co-authoring “Hardy and Wright”, An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers, with G. H. Hardy
G. H. Hardy
Godfrey Harold “G. H.” Hardy FRS was a prominent English mathematician, known for his achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis....
(1938).
After obtaining a self-taught first-class mathematics degree as an external student at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, Wright studied at Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. His research career lasted from 1931 until the early 1980s, and he was a professor at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
in 1936-1962, and Principal 1962-1976. A building there is named after him in recognition of his service to the university. Wright worked in many different areas, including number theory
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
and graph theory
Graph theory
In mathematics and computer science, graph theory is the study of graphs, mathematical structures used to model pairwise relations between objects from a certain collection. A "graph" in this context refers to a collection of vertices or 'nodes' and a collection of edges that connect pairs of...
, and published over a hundred papers. Most of his work focused on analytic number theory
Analytic number theory
In mathematics, analytic number theory is a branch of number theory that uses methods from mathematical analysis to solve problems about the integers. It is often said to have begun with Dirichlet's introduction of Dirichlet L-functions to give the first proof of Dirichlet's theorem on arithmetic...
.
He was knighted in 1977, and awarded the Senior Berwick Prize
Berwick Prizes
The Berwick Prize and Senior Berwick Prize are two prizes of the London Mathematical Society awarded in alternating years in memory of William Edward Hodgson Berwick, a previous Vice-President of the LMS. Berwick left some money to be given to the society to establish two prizes...
and the Gold Medal of the Order of Polonia Resituta in 1978.
External links
- Obituary, Times OnlineThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. - Obituary, Daily Telegraph.