William Gilbert Strang (born November 27, 1934) is an American

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

known for his contributions to finite element theory, the

calculus of variations The calculus of variations (or variational calculus) is a field of mathematical analysis that uses variations, which are small changes in Function (mathematics), functions and functional (mathematics), functionals, to find maxima and minima of f ...

wavelet analysis A wavelet is a wave-like oscillation with an amplitude that begins at zero, increases or decreases, and then returns to zero one or more times. Wavelets are termed a "brief oscillation". A taxonomy of wavelets has been established, based on the n ...

and

linear algebra Linear algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning linear equations such as :a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n=b, linear maps such as :(x_1, \ldots, x_n) \mapsto a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n, and their representations in vector spaces and through matrix (mathemat ...

. He has made many contributions to

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

education, including publishing mathematics textbooks. Strang was the

MathWorks The MathWorks, Inc. is an American privately held corporation that specializes in mathematical computing software. Its major products include MATLAB and Simulink, which support data analysis and simulation. History MATLAB was created in the 1 ...

Professor of Mathematics at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. He taught

Linear Algebra Linear algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning linear equations such as :a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n=b, linear maps such as :(x_1, \ldots, x_n) \mapsto a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n, and their representations in vector spaces and through matrix (mathemat ...

Computational Science Computational science, also known as scientific computing, technical computing or scientific computation (SC), is a division of science, and more specifically the Computer Sciences, which uses advanced computing capabilities to understand and s ...

, and

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, Learning from Data, and his lectures are freely available through

MIT OpenCourseWare MIT OpenCourseWare (MIT OCW) is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to publish all of the educational materials from its undergraduate- and graduate-level courses online, freely and openly available to anyone, anywh ...

. Strang popularized the designation of the Fundamental Theorem of Linear Algebra as such.

Biography

Strang was born in Chicago in 1934. His parents William and Mary Catherine Strang migrated to the USA from Scotland. He and his sister Vivian grew up in Washington DC and Cincinnati, and went to high school at Principia in St. Louis. Strang graduated from MIT in 1955 with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in mathematics. He then received a

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, where he received his B.A. and M.A. from

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

in 1957. Strang earned his Ph.D. from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

in 1959 as a

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

Fellow, under the supervision of Peter K. Henrici. His dissertation was titled "Difference Methods for Mixed Boundary Value Problems". While at Oxford, Strang met his future wife Jillian Shannon, and they married in 1958. Following his Ph.D. at UCLA, they have lived in Wellesley, Massachusetts for almost all of his 62 years on the

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

faculty. The Strangs have three sons David, John, and Robert and describe themselves as a very close-knit family. He retired on May 15, 2023 after giving his final Linear Algebra and Learning from Data

lecture A lecture (from ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history, background, theo ...

. Strang's teaching has focused on linear algebra which has helped the subject become essential for students of many majors. His linear algebra video lectures are popular on YouTube and MIT OpenCourseware. Strang founded Wellesley-Cambridge Press to publish ''Introduction to Linear Algebra'' (now in 6th edition) and ten other books.

University Positions

* PhD student, UCLA (1957–1959) * C. L. E. Moore instructor, MIT (1959–1961) *

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

Postdoctoral Fellow,

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

(1961–1962) * Mathematics faculty, MIT (1962–2023, as a professor from 1970) He has received

Honorary Titles An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

and Fellowships from the following institutes: * Alfred P. Sloan Fellow (1966–1967) *Honorary Professor,

Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU; zh, p=, c=西安交通大学, labels=no) is a public university in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 9 ...

, China (1980) *Honorary Fellow,

(1999) *Honorary Member, Irish Mathematical Society (2002) *Fellow of the

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) is a professional society dedicated to applied mathematics, computational science, and data science through research, publications, and community. SIAM is the world's largest scientific soci ...

(2009) *

Doctor Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

, University of Toulouse (2010) * 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, ...

(2012) * Doctor Honoris Causa, Aalborg University (2013)

Awards

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...

(1955) * National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (1957) * Chauvenet Prize,

Mathematical Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary edu ...

(1977) * American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1985) * Award for Distinguished Service to the Profession,

(2003) *

Lester R. Ford Award ''The American Mathematical Monthly'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of mathematics. It was established by Benjamin Finkel in 1894 and is published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the Mathematical Association of America. It is an expositor ...

(2005) * Von Neumann Medal, US Association for Computational Mechanics (2005) * Deborah and Franklin Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics (2007) * Su Buchin Prize, International Congress (ICIAM, 2007) * Henrici Prize (2007) *

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

(2009) * Irwin Sizer Award for the Most Significant Improvement to MIT Education (2020)

Service

* President,

(1999, 2000) * Chair, U.S. National Committee on Mathematics (2003–2004) * Chair,

(NSF) Advisory Panel on Mathematics * Board Member, International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) * Abel Prize Committee (2003–2005)

Publications

Books and monographs

#''Introduction to Linear Algebra, Sixth Edition'', Wellesley-Cambridge Press (2023)
Introduction to Linear Algebra
#''Linear Algebra for Everyone'' (2020) #''Linear Algebra and Learning from Data'' (2019) #''Calculus'' (2017
Textbook , Calculus Online Textbook , Supplemental Resources
#''Introduction to Linear Algebra, Fifth Edition'' (2016) #''Differential Equations and Linear Algebra'' (2014
Differential Equations and Linear Algebra - New Book Website
#''Essays in Linear Algebra'' (2012) #''Algorithms for Global Positioning'', with Kai Borre (2012) #''An Analysis of the Finite Element Method'', with George Fix (2008) #''Computational Science and Engineering'' (2007) #''Linear Algebra and Its Applications, Fourth Edition'' (2005) #''Linear Algebra, Geodesy, and GPS'', with Kai Borre (1997) #''Wavelets and Filter Banks'', with Truong Nguyen (1996) #

References

External links

* * *Wellesley Cambridge Press (USA
www.wellesleycambridge.com/
*Wellesley Publishers (India
www.wellesleypublishers.com/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strang, Gilbert 1934 births Living people 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty American mathematics educators Fellows of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics American Rhodes Scholars Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Mathematicians from Chicago Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Fellows of the American Mathematical Society Presidents of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Foreign members of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sloan Research Fellows American textbook writers