Harold W. Kuhn
Encyclopedia
Harold William Kuhn is an American mathematician
who studied game theory
. He won the 1980 John von Neumann Theory Prize
along with David Gale
and Albert W. Tucker
. A Professor-Emeritus of Mathematics
at Princeton University
, he is known for the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions, for developing Kuhn poker
as well as the description of the Hungarian method for the assignment problem
.
He is known for his association with John Forbes Nash
, as a fellow graduate student, a lifelong friend and colleague, and a key figure in getting Nash the attention of the Nobel Prize
committee that led to Nash's 1994 Nobel Prize
in Economics. Kuhn and Nash both had long associations and collaborations with Albert W. Tucker
, who was Nash's dissertation advisor. Kuhn co-edited The Essential John Nash, and is credited as the mathematics consultant in the 2001 movie adaptation of Nash's life, A Beautiful Mind
.
His oldest son is historian Clifford Kuhn, noted for his scholarship on the American South and for collecting oral history. Another son, Nick Kuhn, is a professor of mathematics at the University of Virginia. His youngest son, Jonathan Kuhn, is Director of Art and Antiquities for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
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....
who studied game theory
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
. He won the 1980 John von Neumann Theory Prize
John von Neumann Theory Prize
The John von Neumann Theory Prize of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciencesis awarded annually to an individual who has made fundamental and sustained contributions to theory in operations research and the management sciences.The Prize named after mathematician John von...
along with David Gale
David Gale
David Gale was a distinguished American mathematician and economist. He was a Professor Emeritus at University of California, Berkeley, affiliated with departments of Mathematics, Economics, and Industrial Engineering and Operations Research...
and Albert W. Tucker
Albert W. Tucker
Albert William Tucker was a Canadian-born American mathematician who made important contributions in topology, game theory, and non-linear programming....
. A Professor-Emeritus of Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, he is known for the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions, for developing Kuhn poker
Kuhn poker
Kuhn poker is a simplified form of poker developed by Dr. Harold W. Kuhn. It is a zero sum two player game. The deck includes only three playing cards, for example a King, Queen, and Jack. One card is dealt to each player, then the first player must bet or pass, then the second player may bet or pass...
as well as the description of the Hungarian method for the assignment problem
Assignment problem
The assignment problem is one of the fundamental combinatorial optimization problems in the branch of optimization or operations research in mathematics...
.
He is known for his association with John Forbes Nash
John Forbes Nash
John Forbes Nash, Jr. is an American mathematician whose works in game theory, differential geometry, and partial differential equations have provided insight into the forces that govern chance and events inside complex systems in daily life...
, as a fellow graduate student, a lifelong friend and colleague, and a key figure in getting Nash the attention of the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
committee that led to Nash's 1994 Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in Economics. Kuhn and Nash both had long associations and collaborations with Albert W. Tucker
Albert W. Tucker
Albert William Tucker was a Canadian-born American mathematician who made important contributions in topology, game theory, and non-linear programming....
, who was Nash's dissertation advisor. Kuhn co-edited The Essential John Nash, and is credited as the mathematics consultant in the 2001 movie adaptation of Nash's life, A Beautiful Mind
A Beautiful Mind (film)
A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American drama film based on the life of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics. The film was directed by Ron Howard and written by Akiva Goldsman. It was inspired by a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-nominated 1998 book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar...
.
His oldest son is historian Clifford Kuhn, noted for his scholarship on the American South and for collecting oral history. Another son, Nick Kuhn, is a professor of mathematics at the University of Virginia. His youngest son, Jonathan Kuhn, is Director of Art and Antiquities for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.