Obituaries : Kiichi Morita; Innovative Mathematician
Kiichi Morita, renowned for innovative work in theoretical mathematics, has died of heart failure. He was 80.
Morita died Aug. 4 at the Sakakibara Heart Institute in Tokyo, according to a doctor there.
Morita developed a theory of algebra in 1958 that helped simplify the solutions of many equations. “Morita theory” consists of a set of theorems that are now standard basic mathematical concepts.
He also distinguished himself in geometry by publishing an influential theory in 1954 on the properties of shapes and spaces.
Morita studied and taught at Tsukuba University in Tokyo from 1936 until 1978, then worked as a professor at Sophia University, also in Tokyo.
He was born in 1914 in Hamamatsu, Japan. He is survived by his wife, Tomiko, his son Yasuhiro and a grandson.
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