Frank Harary, 83, Top Exponent of a Mathematical Specialty, Is Dead
NY Times
Dr. Frank Harary, a mathematician who wrote and lectured extensively on graph theory, a mathematical specialty often applied in computer science and other fields, died on Jan. 4 in Las Cruces, N.M. He was 83.
The cause was a postoperative infection, his family said.
Dr. Harary’s 1969 book “Graph Theory” has been credited with giving the field a broader relevance. The theory, which dates from the 18th century or earlier, is concerned with the edges and vertices found in graphs. It is frequently used to model physical or abstract problems in chemistry, computer networks, transportation lines and even sociology, as a way to express mathematically the relationships among individuals. Solutions to problems can appear as theorems or algorithms.
Dr. Stephen T. Hedetniemi, a professor of computer science at Clemson University and former student of Dr. Harary’s, said the elegance of the writing in “Graph Theory” had been crucial to the specialty’s acceptance.
