Alfred Lotka
| Alfred J. Lotka | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
2 March 1880 Lviv |
| Died | 5 December 1949 (aged 69) New York City |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | The Lotka–Volterra equations |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
Alfred James Lotka (March 2, 1880 – December 5, 1949) was a US mathematician, physical chemist, and statistician, famous for his work in population dynamics and energetics. An American biophysicist, Lotka is best known for his proposal of the predator-prey model, developed simultaneously but independently of Vito Volterra. The Lotka–Volterra model is still the basis of many models used in the analysis of population dynamics in ecology.
Lotka was born in Lwów, Austria-Hungary (now in Ukraine) to Polish-American parents. His parents, Jacques and Marie (Doebely) Lotka, were US nationals. He gained his B.Sc. in 1901 at the University of Birmingham, England, he did graduate work 1901-02 at Leipzig University, received an M.A. in 1909 at Cornell University and a D. Sc. at Birmingham University in 1912.
In 1935, he married Romola Beattie. They had no children.
He died in New York.
Although he is today known mainly for the Lotka–Volterra equations used in ecology, Lotka was a bio-mathematician and a bio-statistician, who sought to apply the principles of the physical sciences to biological sciences as well. His main interest was demography, which possibly influenced his professional choice as a statistician at Metropolitan Life Insurance.
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