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James H. Wilkinson

English mathematician who laid the foundations of reliable numerical computing

27 September 1919 – 5 October 1986 United Kingdom Verified by our editors
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Lived
67 yrs
1919 – 1986
Works listed
3
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James Wilkinson was an English mathematician who showed how to analyse the rounding errors that computers make when solving equations. His methods underpin the numerical software used in science and engineering, and he received the Turing Award in 1970.

Biography

Early life

Wilkinson won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge, at 16 and graduated with first-class honours in mathematics. During the war he worked on ballistics calculations.

Working with Turing

In 1946 he joined the National Physical Laboratory, where he worked with Alan Turing on the design of the ACE computer. After Turing left, Wilkinson helped build the Pilot ACE, which first ran in 1950 and was one of the fastest computers of its time.

Backward error analysis

Wilkinson’s great contribution was to show that, instead of tracking every rounding error, one could ask whether the computed answer is the exact answer to a slightly changed problem. This “backward error analysis” made it possible to prove that algorithms are stable. His books on rounding errors and on the algebraic eigenvalue problem became standard references.

Software legacy

He co-edited the Handbook for Automatic Computation, whose algorithms led directly to the EISPACK and LINPACK libraries and later LAPACK, still used inside modern scientific software. He died in 1986.

Timeline

  1. 1919

    Born in Strood, Kent, England

  2. 1946

    Joins the National Physical Laboratory and works with Turing

  3. 1950

    Pilot ACE runs its first program

  4. 1963

    Publishes Rounding Errors in Algebraic Processes

  5. 1965

    Publishes The Algebraic Eigenvalue Problem

  6. 1969

    Elected Fellow of the Royal Society

  7. 1970

    Receives the Turing Award

  8. 1971

    Handbook for Automatic Computation, vol. II

  9. 1986

    Died, aged 67

Notable works

  • 1963

    Rounding Errors in Algebraic Processes Book

  • 1965

    The Algebraic Eigenvalue Problem Book

  • 1971

    Handbook for Automatic Computation: Linear Algebra Book

    With Christian Reinsch.

Awards and honours

  • Fellow of the Royal Society

    1969

  • Turing Award

    1970

  • John von Neumann Prize

    1970

Did you know?

  1. 1

    The “Wilkinson polynomial” is a famous example of how tiny changes can wreck a computed answer.

  2. 2

    The Pilot ACE is preserved at the Science Museum in London.

  3. 3

    The James H. Wilkinson Prize for Numerical Software is named after him.

Connections

Related people

Also born on 27 September

Frequently asked

Who is James H. Wilkinson?

James Wilkinson was an English mathematician who showed how to analyse the rounding errors that computers make when solving equations. His methods underpin the numerical software used in science and engineering, and he received the Turing Award in 1970.

When did James H. Wilkinson die?

James H. Wilkinson died on 5 October 1986 at the age of 67.

Where is James H. Wilkinson from?

James H. Wilkinson was born in Strood, Kent, England.

What is James H. Wilkinson known for?

James H. Wilkinson is best known for Backward error analysis; numerical linear algebra; Pilot ACE; Turing Award 1970.

What awards has James H. Wilkinson received?

Notable honours include Fellow of the Royal Society (1969), Turing Award (1970), John von Neumann Prize (1970).

References

  1. James H. Wilkinson — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  2. James H. Wilkinson — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  3. James H. Wilkinson (Q62877) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.

Includes material from the Wikipedia article “James H. Wilkinson”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more

External links

Wikipedia
Filed under National Physical LaboratoryNumerical analysisTuring Award Computer ScientistMathematician

About this profile

Cite this page

“James H. Wilkinson.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/james-h-wilkinson

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