George Francis Denton Duff (July 29, 1926 – March 2, 2001) was a Canadian mathematician who did research in

partial differential equations In mathematics, a partial differential equation (PDE) is an equation which imposes relations between the various partial derivatives of a multivariable function. The function is often thought of as an "unknown" to be solved for, similarly to ...

and

wave In physics, mathematics, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from equilibrium) of one or more quantities. Waves can be periodic, in which case those quantities oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium (res ...

phenomena. He took an interest in harnessing the extraordinarily large tides in the

Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy (french: Baie de Fundy) is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its extremely high tidal range is the hi ...

for generating electricity. While studying at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, Duff became a Putnam fellow in 1948. After that, Duff was a PhD student of Solomon Lefschetz at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

. He became a professor at the

in 1952. There, he supervised the Ph.D. theses of 13 students and served as chair of the Mathematics Department from 1968 to 1975. Duff was the president of the

Canadian Mathematical Society The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) (french: Société mathématique du Canada) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research, outreach, scholarship and education in Canada. It serves the ...

from 1971 to 1973. He was an Invited Plenary speaker at

International Congress of Mathematicians The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union (IMU). The Fields Medals, the Nevanlinna Prize (to be rename ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 1974.

References

External links

Conference in honour of George Duff

Fields Institute newsletter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duff, George F.D. 1926 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Canadian mathematicians Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Scientists from Toronto University of Toronto faculty Presidents of the Canadian Mathematical Society Putnam Fellows