Phyllis Nicolson
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21 September 1917
Phyllis Nicolson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Phyllis Lockett 21 September 1917 Macclesfield, England |
| Died | 6 October 1968 (aged 51) Sheffield, England |
| Alma mater | Manchester University |
| Known for | Crank–Nicolson method |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics, Physics |
| Thesis | Three Problems in Theoretical Physics[1] |
Phyllis Nicolson (21 September 1917 – 6 October 1968) was a British mathematician and physicist best known for her work on the Crank–Nicolson method together with John Crank.
Nicolson was born Phyllis Lockett in Macclesfield and went to Stockport High School for Girls.[2] She graduated from Manchester University with a B.Sc. in 1938, M.Sc. in 1939 and a Ph.D. on Three Problems in Theoretical Physics in 1946.[2] Her Ph.D. thesis began with cosmic ray research conducted under Lajos Jánossy during 1939 and 1940.[3]
Hartree Differential Analyser work
Nicolson's Ph.D. was expected to be submitted in 1941 but was interrupted by wartime work with Douglas Hartree's research group at Manchester University from 1940 to 1945. During this time, Nicolson became a proficient numerical analyst and an expert user of Hartree's differential analyser.[4] Nicolson, along with other members of the research group worked on defence-related problems for the Air Defence Research and Development Establishment (later the Radar Research and Development Establishment), both part of the Ministry of Supply. Nicolson's two significant bodies of wartime research, "Transient behaviour in the single anode magnetron" and "heat conduction", formed the basis of parts II and III of her 1946 PhD thesis Three Problems in Theoretical Physics.[3]
Nicolson's research on heat conduction related to solutions of the heat equation, and with her colleague John Crank she investigated the numerical stability of several solution techniques. The algorithm now known as the Crank–Nicolson method emerged from this work and was published in 1947.[5]
