Stephen Smale
fl. 1930, Flint, Michigan, United States
TopologyAnalysisDifferential equations and dynamical systems
American mathematician who founded modern dynamical-systems theory and proved the higher-dimensional h-cobordism theorem.
Stephen Smale transformed topology and dynamical systems. His horseshoe construction showed how deterministic systems can exhibit chaotic behavior, while his work in topology led to the proof of the generalized Poincare conjecture in dimensions at least five. He received the 1966 Fields Medal.
Workplaces: University of California, Berkeley
United States