Sergei Konstantinovich Godunov (; 17 July 1929 – 15 July 2023) was a Soviet and Russian professor at the Sobolev Institute of Mathematics of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...

, Russia.

Biography

Godunov's most influential work is in the area of applied and numerical mathematics, particularly in the development of methodologies used in Computational Fluid Dynamics ( CFD) and other computational fields. Godunov's theorem (Godunov 1959) (also known as Godunov's order barrier theorem) : ''Linear numerical schemes for solving

partial differential equations In mathematics, a partial differential equation (PDE) is an equation which involves a multivariable function and one or more of its partial derivatives. The function is often thought of as an "unknown" that solves the equation, similar to how ...

, having the property of not generating new extrema (a monotone scheme), can be at most first-order accurate''. Godunov's scheme is a conservative numerical scheme for solving partial differential equations. In this method, the conservative variables are considered as piecewise constant over the mesh cells at each time step and the time evolution is determined by the exact solution of the

Riemann Georg Friedrich Bernhard Riemann (; ; 17September 182620July 1866) was a German mathematician who made profound contributions to analysis, number theory, and differential geometry. In the field of real analysis, he is mostly known for the first ...

(

shock tube : ''For the pyrotechnic initiator, see Shock tube detonator'' A shock tube is an instrument used to replicate and direct blast waves at a sensor or model in order to simulate explosions and their effects, usually on a smaller scale. Shock tube ...

) problem at the inter-cell boundaries (Hirsch, 1990). On 1–2 May 1997 a symposium entitled: ''Godunov-type numerical methods'', was held at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

to honour Godunov. These methods are widely used to compute continuum processes dominated by wave propagation. On the following day, 3 May, Godunov received an honorary degree from the University of Michigan. Godunov died on 15 July 2023, two days shy of his 94th birthday.В Новосибирске скончался выдающийся математик, академик РАН Сергей Годунов

Education

* 1946–1951 – Department of Mechanics and Mathematics,

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

. * 1951 – Diploma (M. S.),

. * 1954 – Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (Ph. D.). * 1965 – Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (D. Sc.). * 1976 – Corresponding member of the

Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991. It united the country's leading scientists and was subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (un ...

. * 1994 – Member of the

(Academician). * 1997 – Honorary professor of the

(Ann-Arbor, USA).

Awards

* 1954 –

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour () was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in sports, production, scientific research and socia ...

* 1956 –

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

* 1959 –

Lenin Prize The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...

* 1972 – A.N. Krylov Prize of the

* 1975 – Order of the Red Banner of Labour * 1981 – Order of the Badge of Honour * 1993 – M.A. Lavrentyev Prize of the

* 2010 – Order of Honour * 2020 - SAE/Ramesh Agarwal Computational Fluid Dynamics Award * 2023 –

Order of Alexander Nevsky The Order of Alexander Nevsky () is an Order (distinction), order of merit of the Russia, Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious ser ...

Notes

References

*Godunov, Sergei K. (1954), ''Ph. D. Dissertation: Difference Methods for Shock Waves'', Moscow State University. *Godunov, S. K. (1959), A Difference Scheme for Numerical Solution of Discontinuous Solution of Hydrodynamic Equations, '' Mat. Sbornik, 47, 271-306'', translated US Joint Publ. Res. Service, JPRS 7225 November 29, 1960. *Godunov, Sergei K. and Romenskii, Evgenii I. (2003) ''Elements of Continuum Mechanics and Conservation Laws'', Springer, . *Hirsch, C. (1990), ''Numerical Computation of Internal and External Flows'', vol 2, Wiley.

External links