Robert Connelly (born July 15, 1942) is a mathematician specializing in

discrete geometry Discrete geometry and combinatorial geometry are branches of geometry that study combinatorial properties and constructive methods of discrete geometric objects. Most questions in discrete geometry involve finite or discrete sets of basic geome ...

and rigidity theory. Connelly received his Ph.D. from

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1969. He is currently a professor at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. Connelly is best known for discovering embedded

flexible polyhedra In geometry, a flexible polyhedron is a polyhedral surface without any boundary edges, whose shape can be continuously changed while keeping the shapes of all of its faces unchanged. The Cauchy rigidity theorem shows that in dimension 3 such ...

. One such polyhedron is in the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

. His recent interests include tensegrities and the carpenter's rule problem. In 2012 he became a fellow of the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

. Asteroid 4816 Connelly, discovered by

Edward Bowell Edward L. G. "Ted" Bowell (born 1943 in London), is an American astronomer. Bowell was educated at Emanuel School London, University College, London, and the University of Paris. He was principal investigator of the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth ...

Lowell Observatory Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark ...

1981, was named after Robert Connelly. The official was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

on 18 February 1992 ().

Author

Connelly has authored or co-authored several articles on mathematics, including ''Conjectures and open questions in rigidity''; ''A flexible sphere''; and ''A counterexample to the rigidity conjecture for polyhedra''.

References

External links

Personal home page
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(with a picture)
''Why Things Don't Fall Down''
– A Lecture About Tensegrity by Robert Connelly
''Mathematical Treasures of the Smithsonian Institution''
– Allyn Jackson,

AMS Notices ''Notices of the American Mathematical Society'' is the membership journal of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), published monthly except for the combined June/July issue. The first volume appeared in 1953. Each issue of the magazine since ...

, vol. 46, no. 5 (May 1999), 528–534. 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians 1942 births Living people Geometers Differential geometers Researchers in geometric algorithms University of Michigan alumni Cornell University faculty Fellows of the American Mathematical Society {{US-mathematician-stub