Jacobus Hendricus ("Jack") van Lint (1 September 1932 – 28 September 2004) was a Dutch mathematician,
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
at the
Eindhoven University of Technology
The Eindhoven University of Technology (), Abbreviation, abbr. TU/e, is a public university, public technical university in the Netherlands, situated in Eindhoven. In 2020–21, around 14,000 students were enrolled in its Bachelor of Science, BS ...
, of which he was
rector magnificus
A rector (Latin for 'ruler') is a senior official in an educational institution, and can refer to an official in either a university or a secondary school. Outside the English-speaking world, the rector is often the most senior official in a u ...
from 1991 till 1996.
He gained his Ph.D. from
Utrecht University
Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...
in 1957 under the supervision of
Fred van der Blij. He was professor of mathematics at
Eindhoven University of Technology
The Eindhoven University of Technology (), Abbreviation, abbr. TU/e, is a public university, public technical university in the Netherlands, situated in Eindhoven. In 2020–21, around 14,000 students were enrolled in its Bachelor of Science, BS ...
from 1959 to 1997.
He was appointed a full professor at
Eindhoven University of Technology
The Eindhoven University of Technology (), Abbreviation, abbr. TU/e, is a public university, public technical university in the Netherlands, situated in Eindhoven. In 2020–21, around 14,000 students were enrolled in its Bachelor of Science, BS ...
at the age of 26 years. His field of research was initially
number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and arithmetic functions. Number theorists study prime numbers as well as the properties of mathematical objects constructed from integers (for example ...
, but he worked mainly in
combinatorics
Combinatorics is an area of mathematics primarily concerned with counting, both as a means and as an end to obtaining results, and certain properties of finite structures. It is closely related to many other areas of mathematics and has many ...
and
coding theory
Coding theory is the study of the properties of codes and their respective fitness for specific applications. Codes are used for data compression, cryptography, error detection and correction, data transmission and computer data storage, data sto ...
.
Van Lint was honored with a great number of awards. He became a member of
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam.
In addition to various advisory a ...
in 1972, received four honorary doctorates, was an honorary member of the Royal Netherlands Mathematics Society (Koninklijk Wiskundig Genootschap), and received a
Knighthood
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
.
Books
* ''Coding Theory'', 1971.
''Combinatorial Theory Seminar Eindhoven University of Technology'' 1974
* ''Introduction to Coding Theory'', Springer, Graduate Texts in Mathematics, 1982, 3rd. edition 1999.
* with
Peter Cameron Peter Cameron may refer to:
* Peter Cameron (entomologist) (1847–1912), English entomologist who specialised in Hymenoptera
* Peter Cameron (mathematician) (born 1947), Australian mathematician, joint winner of the 2003 Euler Medal
* Peter Camero ...
: ''Designs, Graphs, Codes and their Links'', London Mathematical Society Lecture Notes, Cambridge University Press, 1980.
* with
Richard M. Wilson: ''A Course in Combinatorics'', Cambridge University Press, 1992.
* with
Gerard van der Geer: ''Introduction to Coding theory and Algebraic Geometry'', Birkhäuser, 1988.
See also
*
Seidel adjacency matrix
In mathematics, in graph theory, the Seidel adjacency matrix of a simple undirected graph ''G'' is a symmetric matrix with a row and column for each vertex, having 0 on the diagonal, −1 for positions whose rows and columns correspond to adjacen ...
*
Seidel switching
References
External links
Personal web site*
1932 births
2004 deaths
20th-century Dutch mathematicians
Combinatorialists
Academic staff of the Eindhoven University of Technology
Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Rectores Magnifici of the Eindhoven University of Technology
People from Bandung
{{Europe-mathematician-stub