Peter Lax

American mathematician of Hungarian origin (1926–2025)
Person human Q323331
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Summary

Peter Lax was born in Budapest[1]. He died in Manhattan[2]. He worked as a mathematician[3] and university teacher[4]. He ranks in the top 0.61% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (751 views/month, #6,116 of 1,000,298).[5]

Key Facts

  • Spouse: Anneli Cahn Lax[6]
  • Country of citizenship: Hungary[7], United States[8]
  • Native language: Hungarian[9]
  • Field of work: partial differential equation[10], applied mathematics[11], mathematics[12]
  • Position held: Director of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences[13]
  • Employer: New York University[14], Manhattan Project[15]
  • Educated at: Stuyvesant High School[16], New York University[17]
  • Doctoral advisor: Kurt Otto Friedrichs[18]
  • Award received: Paul R. Halmos - Lester R. Ford Awards[19], Chauvenet Prize[20], Norbert Wiener Prize in Applied Mathematics[21], doctor honoris causa from the Pierre and Marie Curie University[22], National Medal of Science[23], Wolf Prize in Mathematics[24], Leroy P. Steele Prize[25], honorary doctor of the Peking University[26], Abel Prize[27], Josiah Willard Gibbs Lectureship[28], Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics[29], Great Immigrants Award[30], Lomonosov Gold Medal[31], Fellow of the American Mathematical Society[32]
  • Sex or gender: male[33]
  • Doctoral student: Alexandre Chorin[34], Ami Harten[35], Burton Wendroff[36], Charles Epstein[37], Steve Alpern[38], Mac Hyman[39], Lucien W. Neustadt[40], Michael Ghil[41], Gui-Qiang Chen[42], Reuben Hersh[43], Barbara Keyfitz[44], Jeffrey Rauch[45], George Logemann[46], Gregory Beylkin[47]

Body

Works and Contributions

Things named for Peter Lax include Lions–Lax–Milgram theorem[48] and Lax equivalence theorem[49].

Why It Matters

Peter Lax has Wikipedia articles in 24 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[50] He is known by 37 alternative names across languages and contexts.[51]

Entities named for him include Lions–Lax–Milgram theorem[48] and Lax equivalence theorem[49].

His notable doctoral advisees include Reuben Hersh[52], a mathematician[53], 1927–2020[54], of United States[55], awarded the National Book Award[56]; Alexandre Chorin[57], a mathematician[58], b. 1938[59], of United States[60], awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship[61]; Charles Epstein[62], a mathematician[63], b. 1957[64], of United States[65], awarded the Fellow of the American Mathematical Society[66]; Gui-Qiang Chen[67], a mathematician[68], b. 1963[69], of United States[70], awarded the Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics[71], specialised in mathematical analysis[72]; Barbara Keyfitz[73], a mathematician[74], b. 1944[75], of United States[76], awarded the Krieger–Nelson Prize[77], specialised in mathematics[78]; and Jeffrey Rauch[79], a mathematician[80], b. 1945[81], of United States[82], awarded the Fellow of the American Mathematical Society[83], specialised in mathematics[84].

FAQs

Where was Peter Lax born?

Peter Lax's place of birth was Budapest[1].

Where did Peter Lax die?

Peter Lax passed away in Manhattan[2].

Who was Peter Lax married to?

Peter Lax's spouses include Anneli Cahn Lax[6].

What did Peter Lax do for work?

Peter Lax worked as a mathematician[3] and university teacher[4].

Where did Peter Lax go to school?

Peter Lax was educated at Stuyvesant High School[16] and New York University[17].

What awards did Peter Lax receive?

Honors received include Paul R. Halmos - Lester R. Ford Awards[19], Chauvenet Prize[20], Norbert Wiener Prize in Applied Mathematics[21], and doctor honoris causa from the Pierre and Marie Curie University[22].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [1] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  2. [2] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  3. [33] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  4. [6] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  8. [16] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [17] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [10] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [11] ↑ . wikidata.org.
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  44. [45] ↑ . wikidata.org.
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  46. [47] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [52] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
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  3. [62] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
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  7. [48] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [49] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [53] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [54] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [55] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  10. [64] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [65] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [66] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [68] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [69] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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  26. [83] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [84] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [5] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [50] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [51] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Peter Lax. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/peter-lax
MLA “Peter Lax.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 11 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/peter-lax.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_peter-lax_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Peter Lax}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/peter-lax}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-11}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 28d ago · KrBot bot · 2026-09-14 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    French academy of sciences member id → peter-lax
    "/* wbsetclaimvalue:1| */ French academy of sciences member id: peter-lax, см. / see [[Template:Autofix|autofix]] на / on [[Property talk:P6282]]"
  2. 4w ago · Mrwdat3 · 2026-09-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Image purged license → —
    Image last checked license → —
    Image needs reharvest → —
    French academy of sciences member id → peter-lax
    + 2 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ French academy of sciences member id: L/peter-lax, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/272603|batch #272603]]"
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