Vincent Frederick Rickey (born 17 December 1941) is an American

logician Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...

and

historian of mathematics The history of mathematics deals with the origin of discoveries in mathematics and the mathematical methods and notation of the past. Before the modern age and the worldwide spread of knowledge, written examples of new mathematical developments ...

. Rickey received his B.S. (1963), M.S. (1966), and Ph.D. (1968) from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

in South Bend, Indiana. His Ph.D. was entitled ''An Axiomatic Theory of Syntax''. He joined the academic staff of Ohio's

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

in 1968, became there a full professor in 1979,V. Frederick Rickey Honored as Distinguished Teacher Professor, Bowling Green State University, 29 June 1992
/ref> and retired there in 1998. He was then a mathematics professor at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

from 1998 until his retirement in 2011.Fred Rickey's Home Page
/ref> He was a visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame (1971–1972),

Indiana University at South Bend Indiana University South Bend (IU South Bend) is a public university in South Bend, Indiana. It is the third largest and northernmost campus of Indiana University. History Indiana University began offering classes in South Bend in 1922 as an ...

(1977–1978), the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...

(1984–1985), and the

(1989–1990). He was a Visiting Mathematician (1994–1995) at the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) headquarters in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and while on this sabbatical he was involved in the founding of the undergraduate magazine ''

Math Horizons ''Math Horizons'' is a magazine aimed at undergraduates interested in mathematics, published by the Mathematical Association of America. It publishes expository articles about "beautiful mathematics" as well as articles about the culture of mathem ...

''. He is an expert on the logical systems of

Stanisław Leśniewski Stanisław Leśniewski (30 March 1886 – 13 May 1939) was a Polish mathematician, philosopher and logician. Life He was born on 28 March 1886 at Serpukhov, near Moscow, to father Izydor, an engineer working on the construction of the Trans-Sib ...

and has been a member of the editorial boards of the '' Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic'' and ''

The Philosopher's Index The Philosopher's Information Center is a nonprofit, educational organization. It was founded in 1967 by Richard H. Lineback, who continues to serve as president. The center is publisher of ''The Philosopher's Index'', a comprehensive bibliograp ...

''. Rickey has broad interests in the history of mathematics with a particular interest in the historical development of

calculus Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...

and the use of this history to motivate and inspire students. He is a multiple awardee. He got the first statewide Distinguished Teaching Award from the Ohio section of the MAA, one of the first national MAA awards for Distinguished Teaching, four times the

Kappa Mu Epsilon Kappa Mu Epsilon () is a mathematics honor society founded by Emily Kathryn Wyant in 1931 at Northeastern Oklahoma State Teachers College to focus on the needs of undergraduate mathematics students. There are now over 80,000 members in about 150 ...

honorary society award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (1991, 1988, 1975, 1971), and the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal from the Department of the Army in 1990 for performance while serving as the visiting professor of mathematics at the United States Military Academy.

Selected publications

*with Joe Albree & David C. Arney: * (See ''

Introductio in analysin infinitorum ''Introductio in analysin infinitorum'' (Latin: ''Introduction to the Analysis of the Infinite'') is a two-volume work by Leonhard Euler which lays the foundations of mathematical analysis. Written in Latin and published in 1748, the ''Introducti ...

''.) * * *with Shawnee McMurran: *with Theodore Crackel and Joel S. Silverberg:

References

External links

Dürer’s Magic Square, Cardano’s Rings, Prince Rupert’s Cube, and Other Neat Things
presentation by V. F. Rickey, MAA Short Course "Recreational Mathematics", Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2–3 August 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rickey, V. Frederick 1941 births Living people 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians American historians of mathematics University of Notre Dame alumni Bowling Green State University faculty United States Military Academy faculty