Tom M. Apostol
Encyclopedia
Tom Mike Apostol is a Greek-American analytic number theorist
and professor at the California Institute of Technology
.
He was born in Helper, Utah
in 1923. His parents, Emmanouil Apostolopoulos and Efrosini Papathanasopoulos, originated from Greece
. Mr. Apostolopoulos's name was shortened to Mike Apostol when he obtained his United States citizenship, and Tom Apostol inherited this Americanized surname.
Apostol received his Bachelor of Science
in chemical engineering
, Master's degree
in mathematics
from the University of Washington
, and a PhD
in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1948. Apostol has since been a faculty member at UC Berkeley, MIT, and Caltech. He is the author of several influential graduate and undergraduate level textbooks.
He is a well-known teacher. He is the creator and project director for Project MATHEMATICS!
producing videos which explore basic topics in high school mathematics. He has helped popularize the visual calculus
devised by Mamikon Mnatsakanian
with whom he has also written a number of papers, many of which appeared in the American Mathematical Monthly
. Apostol also provided academic content for an acclaimed video lecture series on introductory physics, The Mechanical Universe
.
On February 20, 2001, he was also elected in the Academy of Athens
.
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...
and professor at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
.
He was born in Helper, Utah
Helper, Utah
Helper is a city in Carbon County, Utah, United States about 120 miles southeast of Salt Lake City and northwest of the city of Price. It is also known as the "Hub of Carbon County". The population was 2,025 at the 2000 census....
in 1923. His parents, Emmanouil Apostolopoulos and Efrosini Papathanasopoulos, originated from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Mr. Apostolopoulos's name was shortened to Mike Apostol when he obtained his United States citizenship, and Tom Apostol inherited this Americanized surname.
Apostol received his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
, Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 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...
from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, and a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1948. Apostol has since been a faculty member at UC Berkeley, MIT, and Caltech. He is the author of several influential graduate and undergraduate level textbooks.
He is a well-known teacher. He is the creator and project director for Project MATHEMATICS!
Project MATHEMATICS!
Project Mathematics! , is a series of educational video modules and accompanying workbooks for teachers, developed to help teach the principles of mathematics to high school students.-Overview:...
producing videos which explore basic topics in high school mathematics. He has helped popularize the visual calculus
Visual Calculus
Visual calculus by Mamikon Mnatsakanian is an approach to solving a variety of integral calculus problems. Many problems that would otherwise seem quite difficult yield to the method with hardly a line of calculation, often reminiscent of what Martin Gardner calls "aha! solutions" or Roger Nelsen...
devised by Mamikon Mnatsakanian
Mamikon Mnatsakanian
Mamikon Mnatsakanian is Project Associate at Project Mathematics! at California Institute of Technology.He received a Ph.D. in physics in 1969 from Yerevan State University, where he became professor of astrophysics...
with whom he has also written a number of papers, many of which appeared in the American Mathematical Monthly
American Mathematical Monthly
The American Mathematical Monthly is a mathematical journal founded by Benjamin Finkel in 1894. It is currently published 10 times each year by the Mathematical Association of America....
. Apostol also provided academic content for an acclaimed video lecture series on introductory physics, The Mechanical Universe
The Mechanical Universe
The Mechanical Universe... And Beyond, is a 52-part telecourse filmed at the California Institute of Technology, and produced by Caltech and INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications . The series introduces university level physics, covering topics from Copernicus to quantum mechanics...
.
On February 20, 2001, he was also elected in the Academy of Athens
Academy of Athens (modern)
The Academy of Athens is Greece's national academy, and the highest research establishment in the country. It was established in 1926, and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Education...
.