John Barkley Rosser | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1907-12-06)December 6, 1907 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | September 5, 1989(1989-09-05) (aged 81) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Princeton University |
| Known for | Church–Rosser theorem Kleene–Rosser paradox Rosser's sieve |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematical logic Number theory |
| Institutions | Cornell University University of Wisconsin–Madison,IDA/CRD |
| Thesis | A Mathematical Logic without Variables (1934) |
| Doctoral advisor | Alonzo Church |
| Doctoral students | George E. Collins Elliott Mendelson Gerald Sacks |
John Barkley Rosser Sr. (December 6, 1907 – September 5, 1989) was an Americanlogician, a student ofAlonzo Church, and known for his part in theChurch–Rosser theorem inlambda calculus. He also developed what is now called the "Rosser sieve" innumber theory. He was part of the mathematics department atCornell University from 1936 to 1963, chairing it several times.[1] He was later director of the Army Mathematics Research Center at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison and the first director of theCommunications Research Division of IDA. Rosser also authored mathematical textbooks.
In 1936, he provedRosser's trick, a stronger version ofGödel's first incompleteness theorem, showing that the requirement forω-consistency may be weakened to consistency. Rather than using theliar paradox sentence equivalent to "I am not provable," he used a sentence that stated "For every proof of me, there is a shorter proof of my negation".
In prime number theory, he provedRosser's theorem.
TheKleene–Rosser paradox showed that the original lambda calculus was inconsistent.
Rosser died of ananeurysm September 5, 1989, at his home inMadison, Wisconsin.[2][1]
Rosser's son,John Barkley Rosser Jr. (1948–2023), was amathematical economist and professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
