Alma mater Yale University, 1943 Name George Arfken | Role Physicist Education Yale University | |
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Born November 20, 1922 (age 101)
Jersey City, New Jersey ( 1922-11-20 ) Spouse Carolyn Arfken nee Dines Fields Theoretical physics, Mathematical physics Books Essential Mathematical Methods f, Mathematical Methods for Physic, Essentials of Math Methods f, University Physics, Mathematical Methods for Physic | ||
George Brown Arfken (born November 20, 1922) is an American theoretical physicist and the author of several mathematical physics texts. He was a physics professor at Miami University from 1952 to 1983 and the chair of the Miami University physics department 1956–1972. He is currently an emeritus professor at Miami University. Arfken is also an authority on Canadian philately.
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Education
Arfken received a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Yale University in 1943. He earned a Master's degree in physics in 1948 and a doctorate in 1950, both at Yale.
Personal life
Arfken married Carolyn Dines, a graduate of Westminster College of Pennsylvania, in 1949, and they raised three children together. She died in 1997. In 1998, Arfken endowed a scholar-in-residence program in her name at Miami University.
In retirement Arfken played a major role in developing the postal history of Canada for the 60-year period 1851–1911, following the pioneering work of Allan Steinhart. This was primarily a study of the postal rates, the routes the mail followed, and the postal markings on the envelopes and postcards. Arfken wrote one book on the United States' first postage-due stamps and then, with coauthors, nine books on the early Canadian postage and registration stamps. In addition there were over 250 articles in philatelic journals.