Mark Kac | |
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Born | |
Died | October 26, 1984 | (aged 70)
Nationality | Polish |
Citizenship | Poland, USA |
Alma mater | Lwów University |
Known for | Feynman–Kac formula Erdős–Kac theorem Kac–Bernstein theorem Kac–van Moerbeke lattice Kac's lemma Kac process Kac ring Probabilistic number theory |
Awards | Chauvenet Prize (1950, 1968) John von Neumann Prize (1961) Gibbs Lecture (1967) Birkhoff Prize (1978) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Mathematics |
Institutions | Cornell University Rockefeller University University of Southern California |
Doctoral advisor | Hugo Steinhaus |
Doctoral students | Harry Kesten William LeVeque William Newcomb Lonnie Cross Daniel B. Ray Murray Rosenblatt Daniel Stroock |
Mark Kac (/kɑːts/ KAHTS; Polish: Marek Kac; August 3, 1914 – October 26, 1984) was a Polish American mathematician. His main interest was probability theory. His question, "Can one hear the shape of a drum?" set off research into spectral theory, the idea of understanding the extent to which the spectrum allows one to read back the geometry. In the end, the answer was generally "no".