James J. Stoker
James Johnston Stoker (born March 2, 1905 in Pittsburgh , † October 19, 1992 in Greenwood Lake , New York) was an American mathematician who studied applied mathematics and differential geometry.
Life
Stoker started out as a mining engineer. He received his doctorate in 1931 at the ETH Zurich under Heinz Hopf and George Pólya on differential geometry ( on the shape of the positively curved open surfaces in three-dimensional space ), although he initially wanted to do his doctorate there in engineering. Hopf recommended Stoker to Richard Courant , whose assistant he became in 1937 at New York University . Along with Courant and Kurt Friedrichs , Stoker was a founding member of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences of New York University . After Courant's death, he was its director from 1958 to 1966. After his retirement, Friedrichs followed him into office.
Stoker dealt with the theory of water waves, elasticity theory ( plate theory , nonlinear elasticity theory) and nonlinear vibrations.
He is known for his monograph on the theory of water waves from 1957, which deals with linear theory. In 1962 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , in 1963 to the National Academy of Sciences . In 1970 he received the Tymoshenko Medal .
His PhD students include Louis Nirenberg , Warren M. Hirsch and Jean Van Heijenoort .
Fonts
- Differential Geometry , Wiley-Interscience, 1969, 1989
- Water Waves: The Mathematical Theory with Applications , Wiley-Interscience 1957
- Nonlinear vibrations in mechanical and electrical systems , Wiley 1992
- with Kurt Friedrichs, P. Le Corbeiller, Norman Levinson: Nonlinear mechanics, Providence 1943
- Nonlinear Elasticity , Gordon and Breach 1968
- Topics in Nonlinear Elasticity , Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences 1964
Web links
- Literature by and about James J. Stoker in the catalog of the German National Library
- James J. Stoker in the Mathematics Genealogy Project (English)
- Wolfgang Saxon: Obituaries: James Stoker Jr., 87, Ex-Director Of NYU Mathematical Institute , obituaries from October 22, 1992 in The New York Times (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stoker, James J. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Stoker, James Johnston (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American mathematician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 2, 1905 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pittsburgh |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 19, 1992 |
| Place of death | Greenwood Lake , New York |