1929-

English Mathematician

Sir Michael Atiyah is best known as one of the mathematicians responsible for K-theory, a technique in topology that made possible the solution of numerous problems. (Friedrich Hirzenbruch and Alexander Grothendieck (1928- ) also made significant contributions to the creation of K-theory.) He also helped create a significant theorem relating to the number of possible solutions for elliptic differential equations, called the index theorem. This discovery in turn led to a number of other advances, including a fixed-point theorem, which Atiyah helped define. These discoveries earned him the Fields Medal in 1966.

The son of a Lebanese father and a Scottish mother, Atiyah received his grade-school education in Egypt at Cairo's Victoria College and in England at the Manchester Grammar School. He later performed military service, then enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge.

After earning his B.A., Atiyah immediately commenced work...