Edouard Zeckendorf

Edouard Zeckendorf (2 May 1901 – 16 May 1983) was a Belgian doctor, army officer and amateur mathematician. In mathematics, he is best known for his work on Fibonacci numbers and in particular for proving Zeckendorf's theorem: every positive whole number is either a Fibonacci number or can be written as a sum of distinct non-consecutive Fibonacci numbers (and such a representation is unique).

Early Life

Zeckendorf was born in Liège in 1901. He was the son of Abraham Zeckendorf, Dutch dentist and practicing Jew.[1] In 1925, Zeckendorf graduated as a medical doctor from the University of Liège and joined the Belgian Army medical corps.[2] When Germany invaded Belgium in 1940, Zeckendorf was taken prisoner and remained a prisoner of war until 1945. During this period, he provided medical care to other allied POWs.[1]

Career

When Germany invaded Belgium in 1940, Zeckendorf was taken prisoner and remained a prisoner of war until 1945. During this period, he provided medical care to other allied POWs.[1]

After the war, he published over 20 papers, mostly in number theory.[2]

Zeckendorf retired from the army in 1957 as a colonel.

References

  1. ^ a b c Kimberling, Clark (1998). "Edouard Zeckendorf" (PDF). Fibonacci Quarterly. 36 (5): 416–418. doi:10.1080/00150517.1998.12428899.
  2. ^ a b "Édouard Zeckendorf - Biography". Maths History. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
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