Richard von Mises
Richard von Mises | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 April 1883 |
| Died | 14 July 1953 (aged 70) Boston, Massachusetts, US |
| Education | Vienna University of Technology |
| Known for | von Mises distribution Von Mises transformation Von Mises statistic Bernstein–von Mises theorem Cramér–von Mises criterion von Mises yield criterion Von Mises–Fisher distribution Random sequence Sample space V-statistic |
| Spouse | Hilda Geiringer |
| Relatives | Ludwig von Mises (brother) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, aeronautics, statistics and probability theory |
| Institutions | Brno University of Technology University of Strasbourg TU Dresden Humboldt University of Berlin University of Istanbul Harvard University |
| Doctoral advisor | Georg Hamel |
| Doctoral students | Geoffrey S. S. Ludford Stefan Bergman Hermine Agavni Kalustyan |
Richard Martin Edler von Mises (German: [fɔn ˈmiːzəs]; 19 April 1883 – 14 July 1953) was an Austrian scientist and mathematician who worked on solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, aeronautics, statistics and probability theory. He held the position of Gordon McKay Professor of Aerodynamics and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University. He described his work in his own words shortly before his death as:
practical analysis, integral and differential equations, mechanics, hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, constructive geometry, probability calculus, statistics and philosophy.
Although best known for his mathematical work, von Mises also contributed to the philosophy of science as a neo-positivist and empiricist, following the line of Ernst Mach. Historians of the Vienna Circle of logical empiricism recognize a "first phase" from 1907 through 1914 with Philipp Frank, Hans Hahn, and Otto Neurath. His older brother, Ludwig von Mises, held an opposite point of view with respect to positivism and epistemology. His brother developed praxeology, an a priori view.
During his time in Istanbul, Mises maintained close contact with Philipp Frank, a logical positivist and Professor of Physics in Prague until 1938. His literary interests included the Austrian novelist Robert Musil and the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, on whom he became a recognized expert.