Brian Hartley (15 May 1939 – 8 October 1994) was a British mathematician specialising in

group theory In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as group (mathematics), groups. The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as ring (mathematics), rings, field ...

Education

Hartley's PhD thesis was completed in 1964 at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

under

Philip Hall Philip Hall FRS (11 April 1904 – 30 December 1982), was an English mathematician. His major work was on group theory, notably on finite groups and solvable groups. Biography He was educated first at Christ's Hospital, where he won the Thomps ...

's supervision.

Career and research

Hartley spent a year at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, and another at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

before being appointed as a lecturer at the newly established

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

in 1966, and was promoted to reader in 1973. He moved to a chair at the

School of Mathematics The Department of Mathematics at the University of Manchester is one of the largest unified mathematics departments in the United Kingdom, with over 90 academic staff and an undergraduate intake of roughly 400 students per year (including students ...

at the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

in 1977 where he served as head of the Mathematics department between 1982 and 1984. He published more than 100 papers, mostly on group theory, and collaborated widely with other mathematicians. His main interest was

locally finite group In mathematics, in the field of group theory, a locally finite group is a type of group that can be studied in ways analogous to a finite group. Sylow subgroups, Carter subgroups, and abelian subgroups of locally finite groups have been studied. T ...

s where he used his wide knowledge of finite groups to prove properties of

infinite group In group theory, an area of mathematics, an infinite group is a group whose underlying set contains an infinite number of elements. In other words, it is a group of infinite order. Examples * (Z, +), the group of integers with addition is infi ...

s which shared some of the features of finite groups. One recurrent theme appearing in his work was the relationship between the structure of groups and their subgroups consisting of elements fixed by particular

automorphisms In mathematics, an automorphism is an isomorphism from a mathematical object to itself. It is, in some sense, a symmetry of the object, and a way of mapping the object to itself while preserving all of its structure. The set of all automorphisms ...

. Hartley is perhaps best known by undergraduates for his book ''Rings, Modules and Linear Algebra'', with Trevor Hawkes.Rings, Modules and Linear Algebra

Personal life

Hartley was a keen hill walker, and it was while descending

Helvellyn Helvellyn (; possible meaning: ''pale yellow moorland'') is a mountain in the English Lake District, the highest point of the Helvellyn range, a north–south line of mountains to the north of Ambleside, between the lakes of Thirlmere and Ulls ...

in the English Lake District that he collapsed with a heart attack and died.

Awards and honours

The 'Brian Hartley Room' at the School of Mathematics at Manchester is named in his honour.

References

1939 births 1994 deaths 20th-century British mathematicians Group theorists Academics of the Victoria University of Manchester {{UK-mathematician-stub