Richard Birkeland
Richard Birkeland was a Norwegian mathematician, author and professor. He is known for his contributions to the theory of algebraic equations.Biography
He was born at Farsund in Vest-Agder, Norway. He was the son of Theodor Birkeland and Therese Karoline Overwien. He graduated from the Christiania Technical School in 1899. In 1906, he received a scholarship to study mathematics in Paris and Göttingen. He became a professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology from 1910. He was rector of the Norwegian Institute of Technology and from 1923 professor at the University of Oslo.
He was a co-founder of the Norwegian Mathematical Society in 1918 and he was its vice chairman in the early years. He was for a time chairman of Trondheim Polytechnic Association. He was decorated Knight of the Order of St. Olav.Selected works
He was a cousin of physics professor Kristian Birkeland. In 1909, he married Agnes Hoff. Their son Øivind was a civil engineer.
