Nicolas Minorsky
| Nicolas Minorsky | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Native name | Nikolai Fyodorovich Minorsky |
| Born |
September 23, 1885 Korcheva, Russian Empire |
| Died | July 31, 1970 (aged 84) Italy |
| Residence | United States, France, Italy |
| Fields | Mathematics, Engineering |
| Institutions | |
| Alma mater | |
| Thesis | Electronic conduction and ionization in crossed electric and magnetic fields (1929) |
| Known for | Non-linear Control Theory |
| Notable awards | Montyon Prize (1955) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 Russian Empire
|
| Service/branch | Imperial Russian Navy |
| Years of service | 1908–1918 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
Nicolas Minorsky (born Nikolai Fyodorovich Minorsky, Russian: Николай Федорович Минорский; 23 September [O.S. 11 September] 1885, Korcheva, Russian Empire – 31 July 1970, Italy) was a Russian American control theory mathematician, engineer and applied scientist. He is best known for his theoretical analysis and first proposed application of PID controllers in the automatic steering systems for U.S. Navy ships.
Nicolas Minorsky was born on 23 September [O.S. 11 September] 1885 in Korcheva, Tver, northwest of Moscow on the upper Volga River, a town now submerged beneath the Ivankovo Reservoir. He was educated at the Nikolaev Maritime Academy in St. Petersburg, graduating in 1908 and commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Imperial Russian Navy. From 1908 to 1911 he studied in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Nancy, graduating with the degree Ingénieur Electrician. In 1912 he received his licensié ès sciences from the University of Nancy. He then returned to St. Petersburg and studied at the Imperator's Petersburg Institute of Technology, receiving a degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering in 1914. After graduating he served in the fleet from 1914 to 1916. From 1916 to 1917 Minorsky was Superintendent of gyro-compasses and lecturer on gyroscopic phenomena and applications at the Nikolaev Maritime Academy. While there he invented the gyrometer, an angular velocity indicator, and in tests compared it to the sensitivity of the human eye in detecting angular velocities.
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