David W. Henderson
Henderson on his 70th birthday in South Africa
Born(1939-02-23)February 23, 1939
United States
DiedDecember 20, 2018(2018-12-20) (aged 79)
Known forTopology, algebraic geometry, history of mathematics and educational mathematics
SpouseDaina Taimina
Scientific career
FieldsMathematician

David Wilson Henderson (February 23, 1939 – December 20, 2018) was a Professor Emeritus of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics at Cornell University. His work ranges from the study of topology, algebraic geometry, history of mathematics and exploratory mathematics for teaching prospective mathematics teachers. His papers in the philosophy of mathematics place him with the intuitionist school of philosophy of mathematics.[1][2] His practical geometry, which he put to work and discovered in his carpentry work, gives a perspective of geometry as the understanding of the infinite spaces through local properties.[3] Euclidean geometry is seen in his work as extendable to the spherical and hyperbolic spaces starting with the study and reformulation of the 5th postulate.[3][4]

He was struck by an automobile in a pedestrian crosswalk on December 19, 2018, and died the next day from his injuries.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Henderson, D., (1981). Three Papers, For the Learning of Mathematic, Vol. 1, No. 3 (March, 1981), pp. 12–15
  2. ^ Henderson, D. W., (1990). The Masquerade of Formal Mathematics, and how it damages the human spirit, in R Noss, A. Brown, P. Drake, P. Dowlings, M. Harris, C. Hoyles, and S Mellin-Olsen, eds, Proceedings of the First International Conference: Political Dimensions of Mathematics Education: Actions and Critique, Institute of Education: University of London.
  3. ^ a b Henderson, D. W. (1990). Experiencing Geometry on Plane and Sphere, Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ.
  4. ^ Henderson, D. W. and Taimina, D., (1998). Differential Geometry: A Geometric Introduction, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
  5. ^ "Obituary: David Wilson Henderson | The Ithaca Voice". Retrieved 2021-04-05.

Bibliography

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