David Paget
Australian mathematician and educator (1943–1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Frederick Paget (February 9, 1943 – November 30, 1997[1]) was an Australian mathematician.
9 February 1943
- Mathematics education
David Paget | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Frederick Paget 9 February 1943 |
| Died | 30 November 1997 (aged 54) |
| Alma mater | University of Tasmania |
| Known for |
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| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics and education |
| Institutions | |
| Doctoral advisor | David Elliott |
Paget was born in Twickenham and attended Southampton University, where he studied mathematics and played rugby.[2] He emigrated, first to New Zealand and then to Tasmania.
Paget received his PhD from the University of Tasmania, writing his thesis on product integration under the supervision of David Elliott.[3][4] He became Senior Lecturer at that institution.[5]
As a mathematician, Paget was interested in the numerical analysis and approximation theory.[2][6][7][8][9] He has an Erdős number of 3.[10]
It was, however, in mathematics education that Paget made his most significant contribution. He coached the Hobart team to strong performances in the Tournament of the Towns and led the Australian team at the International Mathematical Olympiad from 1991 to 1995.[11] One team member, Akshay Venkatesh, went on to win the Fields Medal.
For his contributions to mathematics education, Paget was awarded the BH Neumann Award in 1997 and Paget St in Bruce, ACT was named after him in 2008.[2][5][12]
Paget was married with four children. As a hobby he collected cigarette cards.[2]