G. H. Hardy | |
---|---|
Born | Godfrey Harold Hardy 7 February 1877 Cranleigh, Surrey, England |
Died | 1 December 1947 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England |
(aged 70)
Nationality | United Kingdom |
Fields | Mathematics |
Institutions |
Trinity College, Cambridge New College, Oxford |
Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Academic advisors |
A. E. H. Love E. T. Whittaker |
Doctoral students |
Mary Cartwright I. J. Good Edward Linfoot Cyril Offord Harry Pitt Richard Rado Srinivasa Ramanujan Robert Rankin Donald Spencer Tirukkannapuram Vijayaraghavan E. M. Wright |
Other notable students |
Sydney Chapman Edward Titchmarsh |
Known for |
Hardy–Weinberg principle Hardy–Ramanujan asymptotic formula Hardy–Littlewood circle method |
Influences | Camille Jordan |
Influenced | Srinivasa Ramanujan |
Notable awards |
Fellow of the Royal Society Smith's Prize (1901) Royal Medal (1920) De Morgan Medal (1929) Chauvenet Prize (1932) Sylvester Medal (1940) Copley Medal (1947) |
Godfrey Harold "G. H." Hardy FRS (7 February 1877 – 1 December 1947) was an English mathematician, known for his achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis.
In biology, Hardy is known for the Hardy–Weinberg principle, a basic principle of population genetics.
In addition to his research, Hardy is remembered for his 1940 essay on the aesthetics of mathematics, entitled A Mathematician's Apology. He was the mentor of the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
G. H. Hardy is usually known by those outside the field of mathematics for his essay from 1940 on the aesthetics of mathematics, A Mathematician's Apology, which is often considered one of the best insights into the mind of a working mathematician written for the layman.
Starting in 1914, Hardy was the mentor of the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, a relationship that has become celebrated. Hardy almost immediately recognised Ramanujan's extraordinary albeit untutored brilliance, and Hardy and Ramanujan became close collaborators. In an interview by Paul Erdős, when Hardy was asked what his greatest contribution to mathematics was, Hardy unhesitatingly replied that it was the discovery of Ramanujan. He called their collaboration "the one romantic incident in my life."
G. H. Hardy was born on 7 February 1877, in Cranleigh, Surrey, England, into a teaching family. His father was Bursar and Art Master at Cranleigh School; his mother had been a senior mistress at Lincoln Training College for teachers. Both parents were mathematically inclined.