Harvey Friedman (mathematician)

Harvey Friedman (born 23 September 1948) is an American mathematical logician at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He is known for his important work in understanding the foundations of mathematics.

One of his main areas of study is called reverse mathematics. This is a way of looking at math to find out which rules, or axioms, are really needed to prove important math ideas. It helps mathematicians understand the basic building blocks of their subject.

More recently, Friedman has been working on something called Boolean relation theory. This work looks at how very big numbers, called large cardinal axioms, are needed to prove certain practical and concrete statements in mathematics. His research helps make sense of some of the most complex ideas in modern math.

Biography

Harvey Friedman is the brother of mathematician Sy Friedman. He earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1967 at age 19. In 1967, he was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world's youngest professor when he taught at Stanford University at age 18. He officially retired in July 2012 and received an honorary doctorate from Ghent University in September 2013.

Career

Harvey Friedman is a mathematician known for creating and solving important math problems, including something called "finite promise games." In 1974, he gave a talk at a big math meeting that helped start a field called reverse mathematics. This field looks at which math rules are needed to prove different math ideas.

Friedman has written about 100 research papers and has been featured in magazines and newspapers. He also wrote a special paper that connects math ideas to a big question about the universe, using a concept from famous mathematician Kurt Gödel.