Robert Connelly (born July 15, 1942) is a mathematician specializing in discrete geometry and rigidity theory. Connelly received his Ph.D. from University of Michigan in 1969. He is currently a professor at Cornell University.[1][2]

Robert Connelly
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
Scientific career
InstitutionsCornell University (current),
Thesis Unknotting Close Embeddings of Polyhedra in Codimension Greater Than Three  (1969)
Doctoral advisorJames Milton Kister
Websitepi.math.cornell.edu/~connelly/

Connelly is best known for discovering embedded flexible polyhedra. One such polyhedron is in the National Museum of American History. His recent interests include tensegrities and the carpenter's rule problem. In 2012 he became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.[3]

Asteroid 4816 Connelly, discovered by Edward Bowell at Lowell Observatory 1981, was named after Robert Connelly.[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 18 February 1992 (M.P.C. 19698).[4]

Author

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Connelly has authored or co-authored several articles on mathematics, including Conjectures and open questions in rigidity; A flexible sphere; and A counterexample to the rigidity conjecture for polyhedra.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "4816 Connelly (1981 PK)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Robert Connelly at Cornell University". Cornell University – Department of Mathematics. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  3. ^ "List of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society". American Mathematical Society. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  4. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  5. ^ Sidman, Jessica (2018). Handbook of Geometric Constraint Systems Principles. CRC Press. p. 297. ISBN 978-1498738927.
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