William S. Massey
Encyclopedia
William Schumacher Massey (born 1920) is an American mathematician, known for his work in algebraic topology
. The Massey product
is named for him. He worked also on the formulation of spectral sequence
s by means of exact couples, and wrote several textbooks, including Algebraic Topology (ISBN 038797430X).
William Massey was born in Illinois
in 1920. He was an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago
. After serving in the U. S. Navy during World War II
he received a PhD degree from Princeton University
in 1949. His dissertation, entitled Classification of mappings of an (n+1)-dimensional space into an n-sphere, was written under the direction of Norman Steenrod
. He spent two additional years at Princeton as a post-doctoral research assistant. He then taught for ten years on the faculty of Brown University
. From 1960 till his retirement he was a professor at Yale University
. He is now a Professor Emeritus at Yale.
Algebraic topology
Algebraic topology is a branch of mathematics which uses tools from abstract algebra to study topological spaces. The basic goal is to find algebraic invariants that classify topological spaces up to homeomorphism, though usually most classify up to homotopy equivalence.Although algebraic topology...
. The Massey product
Massey product
In algebraic topology, the Massey product is a cohomology operation of higher order introduced in , which generalizes the cup product.-Massey triple product:...
is named for him. He worked also on the formulation of spectral sequence
Spectral sequence
In homological algebra and algebraic topology, a spectral sequence is a means of computing homology groups by taking successive approximations...
s by means of exact couples, and wrote several textbooks, including Algebraic Topology (ISBN 038797430X).
William Massey was born in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 1920. He was an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. After serving in the U. S. Navy during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he received a PhD degree from 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....
in 1949. His dissertation, entitled Classification of mappings of an (n+1)-dimensional space into an n-sphere, was written under the direction of Norman Steenrod
Norman Steenrod
Norman Earl Steenrod was a preeminent mathematician most widely known for his contributions to the field of algebraic topology.-Life:...
. He spent two additional years at Princeton as a post-doctoral research assistant. He then taught for ten years on the faculty of Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. From 1960 till his retirement he was a professor at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He is now a Professor Emeritus at Yale.