1887-1985

Hungarian-born American mathematician and mathematics educator who made a number of contributions to the theory of probability, being the first to study the "random walk." Polya studied mathematics at the University of Budapest, receiving his doctorate in 1912. He taught in Switzerland before immigrating to the United States in 1940. A prolific writer on mathematical topics, he is best known for his small book How to Solve It, which has helped generations of students learn how to approach mathematical problems.