Stephen Cole Kleene

Stephen Cole Kleene (January 5, 1909 - January 25, 1994) was an American mathematician whose work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison helped lay the foundations for theoretical computer science. Kleene was best known for founding the branch of mathematical logic known as recursion theory together with Alonzo Church, Kurt Gödel, Alan Turing and others; and for inventing regular expressions. By providing methods of determining which problems are solvable, Kleene's work led to the study of which functions are computable function. The Kleene star, Kleene's recursion theorem and the Ascending Kleene Chain are named after him. He also contributed to mathematical intuitionism as founded by Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer.

Related Topics:
January 5 - 1909 - January 25 - 1994 - American - Mathematician - University of Wisconsin-Madison - Computer science - Mathematical logic - Recursion theory - Alonzo Church - Kurt Gödel - Alan Turing - Regular expressions - Computable function - Kleene star - Kleene's recursion theorem - Ascending Kleene Chain - Mathematical intuitionism - Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer

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Kleene pronounced his last name (IPA). and are extremely common mispronunciations.

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Kleene's standing in mathematical logic is reflected in the proverb "Kleeneliness is next to Gödeliness" among logicians (a pun on "Cleanliness is next to godliness").

Related Topics:
Mathematical logic - Proverb - Gödel - Pun

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