DR. A. C. AITKEN

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 115, 16 May 1936, Page 27

DR. A. C. AITKEN

FELLOW OF ROYAL SOCIETY

A GREAT MATHEMATICIAN

(By Telegraph) (Special to the "Evening Post.") DUNEDIN, This Day. From cabled news received at Dunedin.this morning Dr. A. C. Aitken, a former student and <■ graduate of the University of Otago, has'been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society. This society is recognised as .being the premier scientific society in the United Kingdom and election as a Fellow is considered one of the greatest awards' in the scientific: world. ' Dr.- Aitken was sponsored .by Pro-j fessors . Whittaker, Darwin, Turnbull, I and Alfred Young for his work in al-'J gebra and by Professors Udney, Yule, I and R. A. Fisher for his work in statistics. ' ,''■.' It is very unusual for a man to be elected when put up for the .first time, but this honour has fallen to ' Dr; Aitken. This is the fourth suchaward to come to New Zealand.. Professor W. B. Benham and Professor C. Farr (of Canterbury College)' are members of the Royal Society. The late Dr. L. Cockayne was also associated with the society at the time of his death. Dr. Aitken. is a Dunedin boy educated at the Otago Boys' High School, of which he was dux. His- course at the Otago University was interrupted because of the war, and he fought both at Gallipoli and in France. • He was wounded in France. He was well known-among the soldiers for two reasons, because of his violin, of which instrument he was a master, and because he knew : the name of every man in the.company.as well as the number of each man's rifle. Dr. ■ Aitken was awarded a postgraduate scholarship by" the New Zealand University and proceeded to Edinburgh to study under Professor Whittaker, one of the most distinguished of British, mathematicians. Later, he was appointed lecturer in actuarial and statistical mathematics, a position he at present holds, AVhile at Edinburgh University he published a large number of papers embodying the results, of his researches, and for his eminence in this "work he was awarded two years ago the MacDougall-Brisbane Prize of the Royal Society; of Edinburgh. In collaboration with Professor Whittaker Dn Aitken published "An Introduction to, the Theory of Canonical' Matrices." He is considered. by some ' eminent mathematicians to be the greatest living mathematician. Professor Whittaker has stated that he considered Dr. Aitken the greatest living British mathematician since Cay ley,';v#i6 lived some 100 years ago. : k y'^i .};i-\ .