Abraham Robinson
| Abraham Robinson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 6, 1918 Waldenburg, German Empire |
| Died | April 11, 1974 (aged 55) New Haven, Connecticut |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | University of California, Los Angeles, Yale University, University of Toronto |
| Alma mater | Hebrew University, University of London |
| Doctoral advisor | Paul Dienes |
| Doctoral students |
Azriel Lévy A. H. Lightstone Peter Winkler Carol S. Wood |
| Known for | Non-standard analysis |
| Influences | Gottfried Leibniz, Abraham Fraenkel |
Abraham Robinson (born Robinsohn; October 6, 1918 – April 11, 1974) was a mathematician who is most widely known for development of non-standard analysis, a mathematically rigorous system whereby infinitesimal and infinite numbers were reincorporated into modern mathematics. Nearly half of Robinson's papers were in applied mathematics rather than in pure mathematics.
He was born to a Jewish family with strong Zionist beliefs, in Waldenburg, Germany, which is now Wałbrzych, in Poland. In 1933, he emigrated to British Mandate of Palestine, where he earned a first degree from the Hebrew University. Robinson was in France when the Nazis invaded during World War II, and escaped by train and on foot, being alternately questioned by French soldiers suspicious of his German passport and asked by them to share his map, which was more detailed than theirs. While in London, he joined the Free French Air Force and contributed to the war effort by teaching himself aerodynamics and becoming an expert on the airfoils used in the wings of fighter planes.
After the war, Robinson worked in London, Toronto, and Jerusalem, but ended up at University of California, Los Angeles in 1962.
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