Helaman Ferguson

Helaman Rolfe Pratt Ferguson, born in 1940 in Salt Lake City, Utah, was an American artist known for his work as a sculptor and a digital artist. He had a special interest in creating art through precise mathematical patterns, a field called being an algorist.

Ferguson was also famous for developing the PSLQ algorithm. This was a special way to find relationships between whole numbers, which helped mathematicians and computer scientists solve difficult problems. His work brought together art and math in a unique and important way.

Early life and education

Helaman Ferguson's mother passed away when he was about three years old, and his father left to serve in the Second World War. He was then adopted by an Irish immigrant and grew up in New York. His adoptive father, who worked as a carpenter and stonemason, taught him how to work with his hands using materials like clay and stone. A math teacher in high school who loved art helped him explore both math and art.

Ferguson graduated from Hamilton College, a school in New York that focuses on liberal arts. Later, in 1971, he earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Washington.

Work

In 1977, Helaman Ferguson worked with another mathematician named Rodney Forcade to create a special math method for finding relationships between numbers. Later, he made an even better method called the PSLQ algorithm, which was chosen as one of the best math methods of the century.

Ferguson is also a well-known artist who uses math ideas in his sculptures. One of his famous works is a bronze shape called the Umbilic Torus. In 2010, he was asked to make a very large version of this sculpture for Stony Brook University, and it was finished and placed there in 2012. This huge piece stands over 8 meters tall and sits on a special base with math formulas written on it.

Juggling

In 1987, Helaman Ferguson ran 50 miles in 16 hours while juggling. During that time, he also made and sold juggling balls through the mail.