American mathematician and biophysicist

In the early 1950s, Herbert A. Hauptman and former classmate, Jerome Karle, developed a mathematical system, usually referred to as the "direct method," for the interpretation of data on atomic structure collected through x-ray crystallography. The system, however, did not come into general use until the 1960s, and it was only in 1985 that Hauptman and Karle were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their accomplishment.

Hauptman and Karle developed a complex series of mathematical formulas, relying heavily on probability theory, which made it possible to correctly infer the phases from the data that was recorded on the photographic film. Their new mathematical system came to be known as the determination of molecular structure by "direct method." They demonstrated the workability of their new technique in 1954 by calculating by hand, in collaboration with researchers at the United...