Bell, Eric Temple

Bell, Eric Temple

▪ American mathematician
born February 7, 1883, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
died December 21, 1960, Watsonville, California, U.S.

      Scottish American mathematician, educator, and writer who made significant contributions to analytic number theory.

      Bell emigrated to the United States at the age of 19 and immediately enrolled at Stanford University, where after only two years he earned his bachelor's degree. He received his master's degree from the University of Washington (Washington, University of) after one year of effort in 1908. Similarly, he received his doctorate in mathematics from Columbia University in 1912 after another year of matriculation. In between these years, Bell married and tried his hand as a mule skinner, ranch hand, surveyor, teacher, and at other trades. Immediately after receiving his doctorate, Bell accepted a position at the University of Washington teaching mathematics, which he held until 1926, when he was appointed professor of mathematics at the California Institute of Technology. From 1931 to 1933 he served as president of the Mathematical Association of America.

      Bell published approximately 250 scholarly articles. For his work “Arithmetical Paraphrases” (1921) he received the Bôcher Prize in 1924. Two of his books, Algebraic Arithmetic (1927) and The Development of Mathematics (1940), became standards in the field, the latter outlining in clear, concise language what Bell believed to be the most significant trends in mathematics.

      Bell is best known for his popular books, such as Men of Mathematics (1937) and Mathematics, Queen and Servant of Science (1951). He also wrote a history of Fermat's last theorem, The Last Problem (1961). Although rather fanciful and not always historically accurate, these works, particularly Men of Mathematics, continue to attract a wide readership. Under the pen name of John Taine, Bell wrote many books of science fiction, including The Time Stream (1946).

Additional Reading
Constance Reid, The Search for E.T. Bell: Also Known as John Taine (1993), meticulously unearths the details of Bell's early life and later work.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Eric Temple Bell — Infobox Scientist name = Eric Temple Bell image width = caption = birth date = birth date|1883|2|7|mf=y birth place = Peterhead, Scotland death date = death date and age|1960|12|21|1883|2|7|mf=y death place = Watsonville, California residence =… …   Wikipedia

  • Eric Temple Bell — (né le 7 février 1883 à Peterhead (en), Écosse mort le 21 décembre 1960 à Watsonville (en), États Unis) est un mathématicien et auteur de science fiction. Ses œuvres de fiction ont été publiées sous le pseudonyme de John Taine …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Eric Temple Bell — (* 7. Februar 1883 in Peterhead bei Aberdeen; † 21. Dezember 1960 in Watsonville, Kalifornien) war ein schottisch amerikanischer Mathematiker, der Bücher zur Geschichte der Mathematik und zahlreiche Arbeiten zur Zahlentheorie, Kombinatorik und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Eric Temple Bell — (1883, Peterhead 1960, Watsonville) fue un escritor y matemático escocés. Emigró de su tierra natal hacia los Estados Unidos a la edad de 19 años. Sus contribuciones matemáticas fueron en el campo de la Teoría de números, aunque quizás es mejor… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Bell-Zahl — Die Bellsche Zahl, Bellzahl oder Exponentialzahl Bn ist die Anzahl der Partitionen einer n elementigen Menge. Benannt ist sie nach dem Mathematiker Eric Temple Bell. Es ist Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Eigenschaften 2 Asymptotik …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Eric Bell (disambiguation) — Eric Bell may refer to:* Eric Bell, Irish musician; lead guitarist for Thin Lizzy * Eric Temple Bell, Scottish author and mathematician * Eric Norman Frankland Bell, Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross * Eric Bell (baseball) (b. 1963), American …   Wikipedia

  • Bell (surname) — Bell is a surname, and may refer to many people.Family name name=BellA* Acton Bell, pseudonym of Anne Brontë * Adrian Bell, British farmer writer, father of Martin Bell * Alexander Graham Bell (1847 1922), inventor * Alexander Melville Bell,… …   Wikipedia

  • Bell (Familienname) — Bell ist ein englischer Familienname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Das englische Wort bell bedeutet „Glocke“. Der in Schottland und Nordengland beheimatete Name kann dem deutschen Namen Glöckner oder Klöckner entsprechen oder sich (wie auch Klockmann)… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bell polynomials — In combinatorial mathematics, the Bell polynomials, named in honor of Eric Temple Bell, are a triangular array of polynomials given by the sum extending over all sequences j1, j2, j3, ..., jn−k+1 of non negative integers such that …   Wikipedia

  • Bell number — In combinatorial mathematics, the n th Bell number, named in honor of Eric Temple Bell, is the number of partitions of a set with n members, or equivalently, the number of equivalence relations on it. Starting with B 0 = B 1 = 1, the first few… …   Wikipedia

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