Richard S. Varga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Richard Steven Varga (1928-10-09)October 9, 1928 |
| Died | February 25, 2022(2022-02-25) (aged 93) |
| Alma mater | Case Institute of Technology Harvard University |
| Known for | Numerical analysis Experimental mathematics Complex analysis 1/9th Conjecture Padé approximation Matrix theory |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Applied Mathematics |
| Institutions | Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory Case Western Reserve University Kent State University |
| Doctoral advisor | Joseph L. Walsh |
| Doctoral students | Philippe G. Ciarlet |
Richard Steven Varga (October 9, 1928 - February 25, 2022)[1] was an American mathematician who specialized innumerical analysis andlinear algebra. He was an Emeritus University Professor of Mathematical Sciences atKent State University and an adjunct Professor atCase Western Reserve University. Varga was known for his contributions to many areas of mathematics, includingmatrix analysis,complex analysis,approximation theory, andscientific computation. He was the author of the classic textbookMatrix Iterative Analysis.[2] Varga served as the Editor-in-Chief of the journalElectronic Transactions on Numerical Analysis (ETNA).[3]
Richard Varga was born inCleveland,Ohio ofHungarian-born parents in 1928. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Case Institute of Technology (presentCase Western Reserve University) in 1950. Varga was a member of thecollegiate wrestling team of Case.
Following the advice of Professor Max Morris at Case, Varga joinedHarvard University for the master's degree and obtained an A.M. in mathematics. Continuing his doctoral work at Harvard under the supervision ofJoseph L. Walsh, Varga worked on the theory ofrational approximation ofcomplexanalytic functions. Varga received hisPh.D. degree in 1954 with a dissertationProperties of a Special Set ofEntire Functions and their RespectivePartial Sums.[4]
While at Harvard, Varga also studied withGarrett Birkhoff, who later came to collaborate with Varga in research both oniterative methods for differential equations and onpositive matrices (andpositive operators onpartially ordered vector spaces).
From 1954 until 1960, Varga worked forBettis Atomic Power Laboratory in Pittsburgh. In 1960 he returned toCase Institute of Technology as a professor of mathematics and remained there for the next nine years. He then moved to Kent State University as University Professor of mathematics. At Kent Varga has held numerous academic positions, including director (1980–1988) and research director (1988–2006) of the Institute for Computational Mathematics.[5] His work includes numerical analysis—particularly iterative methods innumerical linear algebra, matrix theory, and differential equations—complex approximation theory, particularlyPadé approximation (often with Edward B. Saff, Jr.)—and analytic number theory, including high-precision calculations related to theRiemann hypothesis. He is also known for advocating experimentation in mathematics, and for writing a monograph surveying his contributions on scientific computing to resolve open problems and conjectures.[6]
In 2012 he became a fellow of theAmerican Mathematical Society.[7]
