Charles Leonard Bouton (April 25, 1869 – February 20, 1922) was an American mathematician.

Charles Leonard Bouton
Born(1869-04-25)April 25, 1869
St. Louis
DiedFebruary 20, 1922(1922-02-20) (aged 52)
Cambridge
Resting placeMount Auburn Cemetery
NationalityUnited States of America
Occupation(s)mathematician, university teacher

Early life and education edit

Charles L. Bouton was born in St. Louis, Missouri, where his father was an engineer.[1] He studied in the public schools of St. Louis. He later received a Master of Science degree from Washington University in St. Louis.[1] In 1898 he received his doctorate from Leipzig University. His Ph.D. advisor was Sophus Lie.[2]

Teaching edit

He taught at the Smith Academy, Washington University and Harvard University.[1] From 1900 to 1902 Bouton was an editor of the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society.[1]

He died at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts on February 20, 1922.[3]

Publications edit

In 1902 Bouton published a solution of the game Nim.[4] This result is today viewed as the birth of combinatorial game theory.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Osgood, William F.; Coolidge, Julian L.; Chase, George H. (1922), "Charles Leonard Bouton (In Memoriam)" (PDF), Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society, 28 (3): 123–124, doi:10.1090/s0002-9904-1922-03508-2
  2. ^ Charles Leonard Bouton at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
  3. ^ "Death of Professor Bouton". Harvard Alumni Magazine. Vol. XXIV, no. 22. March 2, 1922. p. 526. Retrieved May 3, 2023 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Bouton, C. L. (1901–1902), "Nim, a game with a complete mathematical theory", Annals of Mathematics, 2, 3 (1/4): 35–39, doi:10.2307/1967631, JSTOR 1967631

External links edit