Mathematician:Donald Ervin Knuth

Mathematician
Pronounced K-Nooth.

Hugely influential American computer scientist famous for his multi-volume, still famously a work in progress.

The "father of analysis of algorithms".

Pioneered research and design of the representation of mathematics via computer. Author of Computers and Typesetting, another multi-volume work.

Nationality
American

History

 * Born: January 10, 1938

Theorems and Definitions

 * Knuth-Morris-Pratt Algorithm (with, independently of )
 * Knuth-Bendix Completion Algorithm (with )
 * Knuth (Uparrow) Notation


 * 1968 +: :
 * 1968: (3rd edition: 1997) (ISBN 0-201-89683-4)
 * 1969: (3rd edition: 1997) (ISBN 0-201-89684-2)
 * 1973: (2nd edition: 1998) (ISBN 0-201-89685-0)
 * The Art of Computer Programming: Volume 4: Combinatorial Algorithms (in preparation)


 * , fascicles:
 * 2005: Volume 1, Fascicle 1: MMIX - A RISC Computer for the New Millennium (ISBN 0-201-85392-2)
 * 2008: Volume 4, Fascicle 0: Introduction to Combinatorial Algorithms and Boolean Functions (ISBN 0-321-53496-4)
 * 2009: Volume 4, Fascicle 1: Bitwise Tricks & Techniques; Binary Decision Diagrams (ISBN 0-321-58050-8)
 * 2005: Volume 4, Fascicle 2: Generating All Tuples and Permutations (ISBN 0-201-85393-0)
 * 2005: Volume 4, Fascicle 3: Generating All Combinations and Partitions (ISBN 0-201-85394-9)
 * 2006: Volume 4, Fascicle 4: Generating All Trees - History of Combinatorial Generation (ISBN 0-321-33570-8)

Computers and Typesetting

 * 1986: Computers and Typesetting:
 * 1984: Volume A: The $\TeX$book. Describes the $\TeX$ typesetting language. (Softcover: ISBN 0-201-13448-9, hardcover ISBN 0-201-13447-0)
 * 1986: Volume B: $\TeX$: The program. A documented listing of the source code of the $\TeX$ interpreter. (Hardcover: ISBN 0-201-13437-3)
 * 1986: Volume C: The METAFONTbook. Describes the METAFONT font description language. (Hardcover: ISBN 0-201-13445-4, softcover: ISBN 0-201-13444-6)
 * 1986: Volume D: Metafont: The program. A documented listing of the source code of the Metafont interpreter. (Hardcover ISBN 0-201-13438-1, paperback ISBN 0-201-60658-5)
 * 1986: Volume E: Computer Modern Typefaces. A character-by-character listing (in the Metafont language) of the source code for the Computer Modern typefaces (cmr, cmbx, cmti, etc) used by TeX. (Hardcover: ISBN 0-201-13446-2, softcover: ISBN 0-201-60660-7)


 * Hardcover boxed set with the latest editions as of the year 2000: ISBN 0-201-73416-8.

Other Books

 * 1974:
 * 1989: (with  and )
 * 1990: 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated (ISBN 0-89579-252-4)
 * 1992: Literate Programming (ISBN 978-0937073803)
 * 1994: (with  and )
 * 2001: Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About (ISBN 1-57586-326-X)

Selected Papers series

 * 1992: Literate Programming (ISBN 0-937073-80-6)
 * 1996: Selected Papers on Computer Science (ISBN 1-881526-91-7)
 * 2000: Selected Papers on Analysis of Algorithms (ISBN 1-57586-212-3)
 * 2003: Selected Papers on Computer Languages (Cloth binding: ISBN 1-57586-381-2, paperback: ISBN 1-57586-382-0)
 * 2003: Selected Papers on Discrete Mathematics (Cloth binding: ISBN 1-57586-249-2, paperback: ISBN 1-57586-248-4)
 * 2010: Selected Papers on Design of Algorithms (Cloth binding: ISBN 1-57586-583-1, paperback: ISBN 1-57586-582-3)
 * Planned late 2010: Selected Papers on Fun and Games

Papers and Articles

 * 1957: Potrzebie System of Weights and Measures
 * 1963: Finite semifields and projective planes (PhD thesis)
 * 1965: On the translation of languages from left to right
 * 1977: Fast pattern matching in strings (in which the Knuth-Morris-Pratt Algorithm is introduced)
 * 1991: Efficient representation of perm groups
 * (in which Iverson's Convention and the notation for Stirling numbers are discussed)
 * 1993: Johann Faulhaber and sums of powers
 * (in which Iverson's Convention and the notation for Stirling numbers are discussed)
 * 1993: Johann Faulhaber and sums of powers

Other Creations

 * $\TeX$: the definitive tools for typographical rendition of mathematical symbols.
 * METAFONT: a software tool for alphabet design.
 * The Computer Modern family of typefaces.
 * MIX and MMIX, a virtual computer architecture (and its successor) designed to teach the basics of machine-level programming.

Notable Quotes

 * Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it.