Jay Kappraff was an American author and

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 ...

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

at the

New Jersey Institute of Technology New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a Public university, public research university in Newark, New Jersey, United States, with a graduate-degree-granting satellite campus in Jersey City. Founded in 1881 with the support of local indust ...

Biography

Kappraff was trained in

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

physical sciences Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together is called the "physical sciences". Definition ...

and

, earning a B.Ch.E. in

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

at New York Polytechnic in 1958. He went on to be awarded a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in applied mathematics in 1974 from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Science,

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

and a M.S. in chemical engineering in 1960 from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

. He began work for

DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

DeNemours as a chemical engineer from 1961 to 1962 going on to teach mathematics for a brief period before obtaining a position at

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

as an

aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

from 1962 until 1965. He went on to be an instructor of mathematics at the

Cooper Union College The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from 1968 until 1974. Following this, he joined the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he worked until his death. He was a consultant for the

Department of Energy A ministry of energy or department of energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rela ...

in 1976. In 1978, he developed a course in the mathematics of design for

computer scientist A computer scientist is a scientist who specializes in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation. Although computer scientists can also focus their work and research on ...

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

s and

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s. In bringing together such an

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...

range of subjects, he began to study what he termed a ''common language'' of design and

geometry Geometry (; ) is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. Geometry is, along with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. A mathematician w ...

. He has been a lecturer on the relationship between

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

and

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

and published a large number or articles on subjects ranging from

plasma physics Plasma () is a state of matter characterized by the presence of a significant portion of charged particles in any combination of ions or electrons. It is the most abundant form of ordinary matter in the universe, mostly in stars (including th ...

solar heating A solar thermal collector collects heat by Absorption (optics), absorbing sunlight. The term "solar collector" commonly refers to a device for solar hot water panel, solar hot water heating, but may refer to large power generating installations ...

aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

and

fractals In mathematics, a fractal is a Shape, geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scale ...

. He has also published a number of books on these and related subjects and compiled a series of video lectures on the science of design. In 1991, his book ''Connections'' won a prize for the best book in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

and reference from the

Association of American Publishers The Association of American Publishers (AAP) is the national trade association of the American book publishing industry. AAP lobbies for book, journal and education publishers in the United States. AAP members include most of the major commercial ...

. At the NJIT, Kappraff has organized various forums and tuition programs on subjects from

Nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a War, military conflict or prepared Policy, political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are Weapon of mass destruction, weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conven ...

and ancient

experimental mathematics Experimental mathematics is an approach to mathematics in which computation is used to investigate mathematical objects and identify properties and patterns. It has been defined as "that branch of mathematics that concerns itself ultimately with th ...

. he was a member of the faculty council and chairman of the NJIT

Technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

and

Society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

Forum committee. He is a member of the

Mathematics Association of America The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure a ...

and on the editorial board of a new interdisciplinary journal, the ''International Journal of Biological Systems''.

Selected bibliography

* Kappraff, J. "Geometric Foundations of Design: Old and New". World Scientific. (2021) * Kappraff, J. "A Participatory Approach to Modern Geometry." World Scientific. (2014) * Kappraff, J. "Beyond Measure." World Scientific. (2002) * Kappraff, J. "Ancient Harmonic Law". Bridges 2007. (2007) * Kappraff, J. and McClain, E.G. "The Proportions of the Parthenon: A work of musically inspired architecture". Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography, Vol. 30/1–2 (Spring–Fall 2005) * Kappraff, J. and Adamson, G.W. Generalized Binet Formulas, Lucas Polynomials, and Cyclic Constants. FORMA vol. 19, No. 4 (2005) * Kappraff, J. and Adamson, G.W. Polygons and Chaos. Journal of Biological Systems and Geometric Theories, Vol. 2 pp 79–94 (Nov. 2004). * Kappraff, J. The Anatomy of a Bud. In Bridges:2004 edited by R. Sarhangi. Winfield, KS:Central Plains books (2004) * Kappraff, J. and Adamson, G.W. The Relationship of the Cotangent Function to Special Relativity Theory, Silver Means, ''p''-cycles, and Chaos Theory. FORMA. Vol.18, No. 3, pp 249–262 (2003) * Kappraff, J. The Anatomy of a Bud. In Bridges:2004 edited by R. Sarhangi. Winfield, KS:Central Plains books (2004) * Kappraff, J. and Adamson, G.W. Polygons and Chaos. Journal of Dynamical Systems and Geometric Theories, Vol. 2 pp 79–94 (Nov. 2004). * Kappraff, J. and McClain, E. The System of Proportions of the Parthenon: A Work of Musically Inspired Architecture. Music in Art: International Journal of Music Iconography, Vol. 30 (2005), 5-16. * Kappraff and Adamson, G.W. "Polygons and Chaos". Symmetry : Art and Science No. 1/2 (2001). * Kappraff, J. "A Secret of Ancient Geometry." In Geometry at, Work edited by C.Gorini. Mathematics Association of American Geometry MAA Notes No. 53 (2000) * Kappraff, J. "Systems of Proportion in Design and Architecture and their relationship to Dynamical Systems". In Visual Mathematics (an electronic journal). Issue 1. Feb. 1999. * Kappraff, J., Blackmore, D., and Adamson, G. "Phyllotaxis asDynamical System: A Study in Number." In Symmetry in Plants edited by R.V. Jean and D. Barabe. Singapore: World Scientific. In print (1996). * Kappraff, J. "Musical Proportions at the Basis of Architectural Proportions both Ancient and Modern." In Nexus '96 edited by K. Williams. Fuccechio: Edizioni Dell' Erba. In print (1996). * Kappraff, J. "Linking the Musical Proportions of Renaissance, the Modulor, and Roman Systems of Proportions." Space Structures, Vol. 11, Nos. 1 and 2 (1996). * Blackmore, D. and Kappraff, J. "Phyllotaxis and Toral Dynamical Systems."

Journal of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics The ''Journal of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics'', also known as ''Zeitschrift für Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik'' or ''ZAMM'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal dedicated to applied mathematics. It is published by Wiley-VCH o ...

(1995). * Kappraff, J. "Connections: The Geometric Bridge between Art and Science " 470 pages. New York: McGraw–Hill. 1991. * Kappraff, J. "The Spiral in Myth, Mathematics, and Nature." In Spiral Symmetry edited by I. Hargittai and C.A. Pickover. Singapore:World Scientific. 1991. * Kappraff, J. "A Course in the Mathematics of Design." In Symmetry:Unifying Human Understanding. Edited by I. Hargittai. Pergamon Press. 1986. * Kappraff, J. "The Geometry of Coastlines: A study in Fractals." In Symmetry: Unifying Human Understanding edited by I. Hargittai. Pergamon Press. 1986.

References

External links

NJIT – Professor Jay Kappraff, Department of Mathematics

youtube.com – Jay Kappraff – A new course in the mathematics of design
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kappraff, Jay 20th-century American mathematicians 21st-century American mathematicians American non-fiction writers University of Iowa alumni Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni People from New Jersey 2024 deaths