Mamikon A. Mnatsakanian (17 April 1942 – 12 April 2021[1]) (Armenian: Մամիկոն Մնացականյան) was an Armenian physicist. In 1959, he discovered a new proof of the Pythagorean theorem.[2]

Mamikon A. Mnatsakanian
Մամիկոն Մնացականյան
Born(1942-04-17)17 April 1942
Died12 April 2021(2021-04-12) (aged 78)
Yerevan, Armenia
NationalityArmenian
EducationYerevan State University Ph.D.
Occupationphysicist
Known forvisual calculus
Notable worknew proof of the Pythagorean theorem

He received a Ph.D. in physics in 1969 from Yerevan State University, where he became professor of astrophysics. As an undergraduate he specialized in the development of geometric methods for solving calculus problems by a visual approach that makes no use of formulas, which he later developed into his system of visual calculus.

He was a Project Associate at Project Mathematics! at the California Institute of Technology.

With co-author Tom Apostol, he won the Paul R. Halmos – Lester R. Ford Award given by the Mathematical Association of America for author excellence, in 2005, 2008, and 2010.

When Apostol met Mamikon he wrote, "As a teacher of calculus for more than 50 years and as an author of a couple of textbooks on the subject, I was stunned to learn that many standard problems in calculus can be easily solved by an innovative visual approach that makes no use of formulas."[3]

In 2010, he was nominated by Caltech for the Ambartsumians International Prize, awarded annually by the President of Armenia, for his contributions in the field of theoretical astrophysics.[4]

The book, New Horizons in Geometry,[5] the result of 15 years of collaboration between Tom Apostol and Mamikon, has been praised for its originality and clarity.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Մահացել է հայտնի աստղագետ, պրոֆեսոր Մամիկոն Մնացականյանը". www.1lurer.am (in Armenian). 14 April 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Mamikon's Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem". Wolfram Demonstrations Project.
  3. ^ "A Visual Approach to Calculus Problems" (PDF). Caltech Magazine.
  4. ^ Visual Calculus and Theoretical Astrophysics
  5. ^ a b "Bookstore". American Mathematical Society.
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