R. M. Foster

Ronald Martin Foster (3 October 1896 – 2 February 1998), was a Bell Labs mathematician whose work was of significance regarding electronic filters for use on telephone lines. He published an important paper, A Reactance Theorem,^[1] (see Foster's reactance theorem) which quickly inspired Wilhelm Cauer to begin his program of network synthesis filters which put the design of filters on a firm mathematical footing.^[2] He is also known for the Foster census of cubic symmetric graphs^[3] and the 90-vertex cubic symmetric Foster graph.

Education

Foster was a Harvard College graduate S.B. (Mathematics), summa cum laude, Class of 1917. He also received two honorary Sc.D.s.^[3]

Professional career

• 1917 – 1943 Research & Development Department (later Bell Labs), American Telephone & Telegraph, as a Research Engineer (Applied Mathematician), New York City, New York.
• 1943 – 1963 Professor and Head of Department of Mathematics, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York City, New York.

Publications

• Campbell, GA, Foster, RM, Fourier Integrals for Practical Applications, "Bell System Technical Journal", pp 639–707, 1928.^[4]
• Pierce, BO, Foster. RM. "A Short Table of Integrals", Fourth Edition, Ginn and Company, pp 1–189, 1956.

References

1. Foster, R M, "A reactance theorem", Bell Systems Technical Journal, Vol. 3, pp259–267, 1924.
2. E. Cauer, W. Mathis, and R. Pauli, "Life and Work of Wilhelm Cauer (1900 – 1945)", Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Symposium of Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems (MTNS2000), Perpignan, June, 2000. Retrieved online 19th September 2008.
3. "The Foster Census: R.M. Foster's Census of Connected Symmetric Trivalent Graphs", by Ronald M. Foster, I.Z. Bouwer, W.W. Chernoff, B. Monson and Z. Star (1988) ISBN 0-919611-19-2.
4. Lamond, J. K. (1932). "Review: Fourier Integrals for Practical Applications by George A. Campbell and Ronald M. Foster" (PDF). Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 38 (7): 477–478. doi:10.1090/s0002-9904-1932-05446-5.