Peter Swinnerton-Dyer
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry Peter Francis Swinnerton-Dyer, 16th Baronet KBE
FRS
(b. 2 August 1927), commonly known as Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, is an English
mathematician
specialising in number theory
at University of Cambridge
. As a mathematician he is best known for his part in the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
relating algebraic properties of elliptic curves to special values of L-function
s, which was developed with Bryan Birch during the first half of the 1960s with the help of machine computation, and for his work on the Titan
operating system.
, and his wife Barbara, daughter of Hereward Brackenbury. He was a Fellow of Trinity College
, Master of St Catharine's College and vice-chancellor
of the University of Cambridge from 1979 to 1983. From 1983 he was Chairman of the University Grants Committee and then from 1989, Chief Executive of the Universities Funding Council. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was a KBE
in 1987. In 2006 he was awarded the Sylvester Medal
.
Swinnerton-Dyer was, in his younger days, an international bridge
player, representing the British team twice in the European Open teams championship. In 1953 at Helsinki
he was partnered by Dimmie Fleming (the only occasion a woman has played in the British Open team): the team came second out of fifteen teams. In 1962 he was partnered by Ken Barbour; the team came fourth out of twelve teams at Beirut
.
Sir Henry Peter Francis Swinnerton-Dyer, 16th Baronet KBE
FRS
(b. 2 August 1927), commonly known as Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, is an English
mathematician
specialising in number theory
at University of Cambridge
. As a mathematician he is best known for his part in the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
relating algebraic properties of elliptic curves to special values of L-function
s, which was developed with Bryan Birch during the first half of the 1960s with the help of machine computation, and for his work on the Titan
operating system.
, and his wife Barbara, daughter of Hereward Brackenbury. He was a Fellow of Trinity College
, Master of St Catharine's College and vice-chancellor
of the University of Cambridge from 1979 to 1983. From 1983 he was Chairman of the University Grants Committee and then from 1989, Chief Executive of the Universities Funding Council. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was a KBE
in 1987. In 2006 he was awarded the Sylvester Medal
.
Swinnerton-Dyer was, in his younger days, an international bridge
player, representing the British team twice in the European Open teams championship. In 1953 at Helsinki
he was partnered by Dimmie Fleming (the only occasion a woman has played in the British Open team): the team came second out of fifteen teams. In 1962 he was partnered by Ken Barbour; the team came fourth out of twelve teams at Beirut
.
Sir Henry Peter Francis Swinnerton-Dyer, 16th Baronet KBE
FRS
(b. 2 August 1927), commonly known as Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, is an English
mathematician
specialising in number theory
at University of Cambridge
. As a mathematician he is best known for his part in the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
relating algebraic properties of elliptic curves to special values of L-function
s, which was developed with Bryan Birch during the first half of the 1960s with the help of machine computation, and for his work on the Titan
operating system.
, and his wife Barbara, daughter of Hereward Brackenbury. He was a Fellow of Trinity College
, Master of St Catharine's College and vice-chancellor
of the University of Cambridge from 1979 to 1983. From 1983 he was Chairman of the University Grants Committee and then from 1989, Chief Executive of the Universities Funding Council. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was a KBE
in 1987. In 2006 he was awarded the Sylvester Medal
.
Swinnerton-Dyer was, in his younger days, an international bridge
player, representing the British team twice in the European Open teams championship. In 1953 at Helsinki
he was partnered by Dimmie Fleming (the only occasion a woman has played in the British Open team): the team came second out of fifteen teams. In 1962 he was partnered by Ken Barbour; the team came fourth out of twelve teams at Beirut
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(b. 2 August 1927), commonly known as Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, is 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....
specialising in 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...
at University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. As a mathematician he is best known for his part in the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
In mathematics, the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture is an open problem in the field of number theory. Its status as one of the most challenging mathematical questions has become widely recognized; the conjecture was chosen as one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems listed by the Clay...
relating algebraic properties of elliptic curves to special values of L-function
L-function
The theory of L-functions has become a very substantial, and still largely conjectural, part of contemporary analytic number theory. In it, broad generalisations of the Riemann zeta function and the L-series for a Dirichlet character are constructed, and their general properties, in most cases...
s, which was developed with Bryan Birch during the first half of the 1960s with the help of machine computation, and for his work on the Titan
Titan (computer)
Titan was the prototype of the Atlas 2 computer developed by Ferranti and the University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory in Cambridge, England...
operating system.
Biography
Swinnerton-Dyer is the son of Sir Leonard Schroeder Swinnerton Dyer, 15th BaronetBaronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, and his wife Barbara, daughter of Hereward Brackenbury. He was a Fellow of Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Master of St Catharine's College and vice-chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of the University of Cambridge from 1979 to 1983. From 1983 he was Chairman of the University Grants Committee and then from 1989, Chief Executive of the Universities Funding Council. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was a KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1987. In 2006 he was awarded the Sylvester Medal
Sylvester Medal
The Sylvester Medal is a bronze medal awarded by the Royal Society for the encouragement of mathematical research, and accompanied by a £1,000 prize...
.
Swinnerton-Dyer was, in his younger days, an international bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
player, representing the British team twice in the European Open teams championship. In 1953 at Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
he was partnered by Dimmie Fleming (the only occasion a woman has played in the British Open team): the team came second out of fifteen teams. In 1962 he was partnered by Ken Barbour; the team came fourth out of twelve teams at Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
.
See also
- List of Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge
- List of Masters of St Catharine's College, Cambridge
External links
- Personal web page
- Number Theory and Algebraic Geometry -- to Peter Swinnerton-Dyer on his 75th birthday, edited by Miles Reid and Alexei Skorobogatov, LMS Lecture Notes 303, Cambridge University Press, 2004 ISBN 0-521-54518-8
- Peter Swinnerton-Dyer interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 12th May 2008 (film)
Sir Henry Peter Francis Swinnerton-Dyer, 16th Baronet KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(b. 2 August 1927), commonly known as Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, is 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....
specialising in 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...
at University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. As a mathematician he is best known for his part in the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
In mathematics, the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture is an open problem in the field of number theory. Its status as one of the most challenging mathematical questions has become widely recognized; the conjecture was chosen as one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems listed by the Clay...
relating algebraic properties of elliptic curves to special values of L-function
L-function
The theory of L-functions has become a very substantial, and still largely conjectural, part of contemporary analytic number theory. In it, broad generalisations of the Riemann zeta function and the L-series for a Dirichlet character are constructed, and their general properties, in most cases...
s, which was developed with Bryan Birch during the first half of the 1960s with the help of machine computation, and for his work on the Titan
Titan (computer)
Titan was the prototype of the Atlas 2 computer developed by Ferranti and the University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory in Cambridge, England...
operating system.
Biography
Swinnerton-Dyer is the son of Sir Leonard Schroeder Swinnerton Dyer, 15th BaronetBaronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, and his wife Barbara, daughter of Hereward Brackenbury. He was a Fellow of Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Master of St Catharine's College and vice-chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of the University of Cambridge from 1979 to 1983. From 1983 he was Chairman of the University Grants Committee and then from 1989, Chief Executive of the Universities Funding Council. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was a KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1987. In 2006 he was awarded the Sylvester Medal
Sylvester Medal
The Sylvester Medal is a bronze medal awarded by the Royal Society for the encouragement of mathematical research, and accompanied by a £1,000 prize...
.
Swinnerton-Dyer was, in his younger days, an international bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
player, representing the British team twice in the European Open teams championship. In 1953 at Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
he was partnered by Dimmie Fleming (the only occasion a woman has played in the British Open team): the team came second out of fifteen teams. In 1962 he was partnered by Ken Barbour; the team came fourth out of twelve teams at Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
.
See also
- List of Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge
- List of Masters of St Catharine's College, Cambridge
External links
- Personal web page
- Number Theory and Algebraic Geometry -- to Peter Swinnerton-Dyer on his 75th birthday, edited by Miles Reid and Alexei Skorobogatov, LMS Lecture Notes 303, Cambridge University Press, 2004 ISBN 0-521-54518-8
- Peter Swinnerton-Dyer interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 12th May 2008 (film)
Sir Henry Peter Francis Swinnerton-Dyer, 16th Baronet KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(b. 2 August 1927), commonly known as Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, is 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....
specialising in 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...
at University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. As a mathematician he is best known for his part in the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
In mathematics, the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture is an open problem in the field of number theory. Its status as one of the most challenging mathematical questions has become widely recognized; the conjecture was chosen as one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems listed by the Clay...
relating algebraic properties of elliptic curves to special values of L-function
L-function
The theory of L-functions has become a very substantial, and still largely conjectural, part of contemporary analytic number theory. In it, broad generalisations of the Riemann zeta function and the L-series for a Dirichlet character are constructed, and their general properties, in most cases...
s, which was developed with Bryan Birch during the first half of the 1960s with the help of machine computation, and for his work on the Titan
Titan (computer)
Titan was the prototype of the Atlas 2 computer developed by Ferranti and the University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory in Cambridge, England...
operating system.
Biography
Swinnerton-Dyer is the son of Sir Leonard Schroeder Swinnerton Dyer, 15th BaronetBaronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, and his wife Barbara, daughter of Hereward Brackenbury. He was a Fellow of Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Master of St Catharine's College and vice-chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of the University of Cambridge from 1979 to 1983. From 1983 he was Chairman of the University Grants Committee and then from 1989, Chief Executive of the Universities Funding Council. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was a KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1987. In 2006 he was awarded the Sylvester Medal
Sylvester Medal
The Sylvester Medal is a bronze medal awarded by the Royal Society for the encouragement of mathematical research, and accompanied by a £1,000 prize...
.
Swinnerton-Dyer was, in his younger days, an international bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
player, representing the British team twice in the European Open teams championship. In 1953 at Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
he was partnered by Dimmie Fleming (the only occasion a woman has played in the British Open team): the team came second out of fifteen teams. In 1962 he was partnered by Ken Barbour; the team came fourth out of twelve teams at Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
.
See also
- List of Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge
- List of Masters of St Catharine's College, Cambridge