Donald Knuth


Donald Knuth Donald Ervin Knuth (born January 10, 1938) is a renowned computer scientist and Professor Emeritus at Stanford University. Knuth (pronounced "Ka-NOOTH" http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/faq.html) is best known as the author of the multi-volume The Art of Computer Programming, one of the most highly respected references in the computer science field. He practically created the field of rigorous analysis of algorithms, and made many seminal contributions to several branches of theoretical computer science. He is the creator of the TEX typesetting system and of the METAFONT font design system, and pioneered the concept of literate programming.

Education and academic work

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he received his bachelor's degree in mathematics at the Case Institute of Technology, now known as Case Western Reserve University. He earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from the California Institute of Technology in 1963. In 1968 he became a member of the faculty of Stanford University. In 1971, Knuth was the recipient of the first ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award. He has received various other awards including the Turing Award, the National Medal of Science, the John von Neumann Medal and the Kyoto Prize. In 1992 he became associate of the French Academy of Sciences and in 2003 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1992, Knuth retired from regular teaching and research at Stanford University in order to finish The Art of Computer Programming. As of 2004, three volumes have been published, and Knuth is currently working on volume four, excerpts of which are released periodically on his website. Meanwhile, Knuth gives informal lectures a few times a year at Stanford University, which he calls Computer Musings. In recognition of Knuth's contributions to the field of computer science, in 1990 he was awarded the singular academic title of Professor of the Art of Computer Programming, which has since been revised to Professor Emeritus of the Art of Computer Programming.

Trivia

Knuth is a famous programmer known for his geek humor: In addition to his writings on computer science, Knuth is also the author of 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated (1991), Order: ISBN 0895792524, in which he attempts to examine the Bible by a process of "stratified random sampling," namely an analysis of chapter 3, verse 16 of each book. Each verse is accompanied by a rendering in calligraphic art, contributed by a group of calligraphers under the leadership of Hermann Zapf. Knuth published his first "scientific" article in a school magazine in 1957 under the title "Potrzebie System of Weights and Measures." In it, he defined the fundamental unit of length as the thickness of MAD magazine #26, and named the fundamental unit of force "whatmeworry". MAD magazine bought the article and published it in the June 1957 issue.

Personal

Knuth's hobbies include music, and specifically playing the organ. He has a pipe organ installed in his home. Knuth disclaims any particular talent in the instrument, however. He does not use e-mail, saying that he used it from about 1975 until January 1, 1990, and that was enough for one lifetime. He finds it more efficient to respond to correspondence in "batch mode", such as one day every three months, to be sent by snail mail. He is married to Jill Knuth, who published a book on liturgy. They have two children.

See also

Interviews, Q&A

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