William Duncan MacMillan

William Duncan MacMillan
W. D. MacMillan, University of Chicago, 1920s
Born(1871-07-24)July 24, 1871
La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
DiedNovember 14, 1948(1948-11-14) (aged 77)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy, mathematics and physics
Thesis Periodic Orbits about an Oblate Spheroid[1]  (1908)
Doctoral advisorForest Ray Moulton[2]
Doctoral studentsWilliam Markowitz[2]

William Duncan MacMillan (July 24, 1871 – November 14, 1948) was an American mathematician and astronomer on the faculty of the University of Chicago. He published research on the applications of classical mechanics to astronomy, and is noted for pioneering speculations on physical cosmology.[3] For the latter, Helge Kragh noted, "the cosmological model proposed by MacMillan was designed to lend support to a cosmic optimism, which he felt was threatened by the world view of modern physics."[4]

  1. ^ MacMillan, William Duncan (1909). Periodic Orbits about an Oblate Spheroid. University of Chicago. (doctoral dissertation, Department of Astronomy)
  2. ^ a b "William Duncan MacMillan". Astronomy Tree.
  3. ^ Schlegel, Richard (1958). "Steady-State Theory at Chicago". American Journal of Physics. 26 (9): 601. Bibcode:1958AmJPh..26..601S. doi:10.1119/1.1934713.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kragh95 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).