Joseph Miller Thomas

Joseph Miller Thomas (16 January 1898 – 1979) was an American mathematician, known for the Thomas decomposition of algebraic and differential systems.

Thomas received his Ph.D., supervised by Frederick Wahn Beal, from the University of Pennsylvania with thesis Congruences of Circles, Studied with reference to the Surface of Centers. He was a mathematics professor at Duke University for many years. His graduate students include Mabel Griffin (later married to L. B. Reavis) and Ruth W. Stokes. In 1935 he was one of the founders of the Duke Mathematical Journal. For the academic year 1936–1937 was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Based upon earlier work by Charles Riquier and Maurice Janet, Thomas's research was important for the introduction of involutive bases.

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