Christopher Zeeman

British mathematician (1925-2016)

Sir Erik Christopher Zeeman FRS (4 February 1925 – 13 February 2016), was a British mathematician. He was known for his work in geometric topology and singularity theory. Zeeman's main contributions to mathematics were in topology, particularly in knot theory, the piecewise linear category, and dynamical systems.

Professor Sir Erik Christopher Zeeman
Erik Christopher Zeeman in 1980, courtesy MFO
Born(1925-02-04)4 February 1925
Died13 February 2016(2016-02-13) (aged 91)
CitizenshipBritish
Alma materChrist's College, Cambridge
Known forCatastrophe theory
Geometric topology
Singularity theory
AwardsSenior Whitehead Prize (1982)
Faraday Medal (1988)
David Crighton Medal (2006)
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics
InstitutionsUniversity of Cambridge
University of Warwick, England
Oxford University, England
Gresham College, England
Doctoral advisorShaun Wylie
Doctoral studentsMark Anthony Armstrong
Peter Buneman
David Epstein
John F. P. Hudson
Ray Lickorish
Anthony Manning
Tim Poston
Colin Rourke
Jaroslav Stark
David Trotman
Terry Wall
and 18 others
Notes

Other websites

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  • O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Christopher Zeeman", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews.
  • Interview in CIM Bulletin 2001 Archived 2004-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
  • Three references for further reading Archived 2016-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
  • Bibliography Archived 2021-12-05 at the Wayback Machine
  • Zeeman's Catastrophe Machine
  • "The Cusp of Catastrophe: René Thom, Christopher Zeeman and Denis Postle" in Maps of the Mind Charles Hampden-Turner. Collier Books, 1981. ISBN 978-0-85533-293-8
  • Mathematics into Pictures Archived 2013-12-27 at the Wayback Machine, Christopher Zeeman's 1978 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures