Alfred James Lotka - Revision history

Hthach at 14:46, 29 August 2025

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			[[File:Alfred J. Lotka.jpg\|alt=Alfred J. Lotka\|thumb\|Alfred J. Lotka]]
	'''Alfred James Lotka''' (1880-1949) was an American mathematician.		'''Alfred James Lotka''' (1880-1949) was an American mathematician.

Smith2: /* Lotka's Law */

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Lotka's Law

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	=== Lotka's Law ===		=== Lotka's Law ===
	An application of Zipf's law describing the frequency of publication (productivity) of authors in any given field. Lotka's law models the productivity (i.e. frequency of publication) of scientists. The distribution is based on an inverse square law where the number of authors writing n papers is l/n2 of the number of authors writing one paper. Each subject area can have associated with it an exponent representing its specific rate of author productivity.		An application of Zipf's law describing the frequency of publication (productivity) of authors in any given field. Lotka's law models the productivity (i.e. frequency of publication) of scientists. The distribution is based on an inverse square law where the number of authors writing n papers is l/n2 of the number of authors writing one paper. Each subject area can have associated with it an exponent representing its specific rate of author productivity. Lotka's law is one of the traditional major components of bibliometrics along with obsolescence and [[S. C. Bradford\|Bradford's]] law of scattering.

	== Publication ==		== Publication ==

Smith2: /* Papers */

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Papers

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	== Papers ==		== Papers ==
	Princeton University Library, Stokes Library - Wallace Hall . 1881-1949. 15.8 linear ft.; 34 cartons.		Princeton University Library, Stokes Library - Wallace Hall. Collected papers of Lotka. 1881-1949. 15.8 linear ft.; 34 cartons.

Smith2: Formatting

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Formatting

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			'''Alfred James Lotka''' (1880-1949) was an American mathematician.

	== Life ==		== Life ==
	Alfred James Lotka (1880~~-1949)~~		Alfred James Lotka was born to Polish-American parents in Lwów, Austria-Hungary (now Lviv, Ukraine) on March 2, 1880. He gained his B.Sc. in 1901 at the University of Birmingham, England, did graduate work in 1901–02 at Leipzig University, received an M.A. in 1909 at Cornell University, and a D.Sc. at Birmingham University in 1912.

	~~See~~ a ~~good biographical sketch and selected bibliography of writings~~ in ~~Wikipedia at: <nowiki>http://en~~.~~wikipedia~~.~~org/wiki/Lotka</nowiki>~~		Lotka worked as a statistician for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, in New York from 1924 until his retirement in 1948. He died December 5, 1949 in Red Bank, NJ.

	== Contributions ==		== Contributions ==
	~~This excerpt describes his influence in bibliometrics: "Within the field of bibliometrics, particularly that part devoted to studying scientific publications,~~ Lotka is ~~noted~~ for ~~contributing "Lotka's law." The law which Lotka discovered relates to~~ the ~~productivity of scientists. As noted by W.G. Poitier~~ in ~~1981: "The Lotka distribution is based on an inverse square law where the number~~ of ~~authors writing n papers is l/n2 of the number~~ of ~~authors writing one paper~~. ~~Each subject area can have associated with it an exponent representing its specific rate of author productivity." Lotka's work sparked additional inquiries~~, ~~eventually seminally contributing to~~ the ~~field~~ of ~~scientometrics~~, ~~the scientific study of scientific publications~~."		Lotka is best-known for the Lotka–Volterra equations predicting linked oscillations in populations of predator and prey and for his studies of human population stability. He contributed widely to physical biology, the energetics of evolution, demography and public health, and bibliometrics.

	== ~~Awards~~ ==		=== Lotka's Law ===
			An application of Zipf's law describing the frequency of publication (productivity) of authors in any given field. Lotka's law models the productivity (i.e. frequency of publication) of scientists. The distribution is based on an inverse square law where the number of authors writing n papers is l/n2 of the number of authors writing one paper. Each subject area can have associated with it an exponent representing its specific rate of author productivity.

	== ~~Offices~~ ==		== Publication ==
	~~Royal Economic Society~~ of ~~Population Association~~(?) ~~Pres~~. ~~1938-39; Fellow American Statistical Association Pres~~. ~~1942~~.		*Lotka, Alfred J. (1926). "The frequency distribution of scientific productivity". ''Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences''. 16 (12): 317–324.

			== Further reading ==
			Biography:
			*"Alfred J. Lotka." ''Wikipedia'' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_J._Lotka]
			*Haaga, J. ''Alfred Lotka, Mathematical Demographer.'' Population Reference Bureau, March 2000. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170820153122/http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2000/AlfredLotkaMathematicalDemographer.aspx]
			Lotka's Law:
			*"Lotka's law." ''Wikipedia'' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotka%27s_law]

	== Papers ==		== Papers ==
	~~'''Location #1'''~~ Princeton University Library, ~~Mudd Manuscripts~~ Library		Princeton University Library, Stokes Library - Wallace Hall . 1881-1949. 15.8 linear ft.; 34 cartons.

	* Papers dates: 1881-1949
	* Size: 15.8 linear ft.; 34 cartons
	* Includes: Professional papers
	* Finding aid: See the Princeton library catalog record for details
	* Source: NUCMC, MS 61-1069, p. ~~440~~

Egha9 at 05:15, 15 August 2023

2023-08-15T05:15:37Z

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	1880-1949		== Life ==
			Alfred James Lotka (1880-1949)

	~~ADDRESS~~:		See a good biographical sketch and selected bibliography of writings in Wikipedia at: <nowiki>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotka</nowiki>

	~~E-MAIL~~:		== Contributions ==
			This excerpt describes his influence in bibliometrics: "Within the field of bibliometrics, particularly that part devoted to studying scientific publications, Lotka is noted for contributing "Lotka's law." The law which Lotka discovered relates to the productivity of scientists. As noted by W.G. Poitier in 1981: "The Lotka distribution is based on an inverse square law where the number of authors writing n papers is l/n2 of the number of authors writing one paper. Each subject area can have associated with it an exponent representing its specific rate of author productivity." Lotka's work sparked additional inquiries, eventually seminally contributing to the field of scientometrics, the scientific study of scientific publications."

	WORKED AT: See a good biographical sketch and selected bibliography of writings in Wikipedia at: <nowiki>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotka</nowiki> This excerpt describes his influence in bibliometrics: "Within the field of bibliometrics, particularly that part devoted to studying scientific publications, Lotka is noted for contributing "Lotka's law." The law which Lotka discovered relates to the productivity of scientists. As noted by W.G. Poitier in 1981: "The Lotka distribution is based on an inverse square law where the number of authors writing n papers is l/n2 of the number of authors writing one paper. Each subject area can have associated with it an exponent representing its specific rate of author productivity." Lotka's work sparked additional inquiries, eventually seminally contributing to the field of scientometrics�the scientific study of scientific publications."		== Awards ==

	~~AWARDS:~~		== Offices ==
			Royal Economic Society of Population Association(?) Pres. 1938-39; Fellow American Statistical Association Pres. 1942.

	~~OFFICES: Royal Economic Society of Population Association(?) Pres. 1938-39; Fellow American Statistical Association Pres. 1942.~~		== Papers ==
			'''Location #1''' Princeton University Library, Mudd Manuscripts Library

	~~PAPERS AT:~~		* Papers dates: 1881-1949
			* Size: 15.8 linear ft.; 34 cartons
	~~LOCATION #1 Princeton University Library, Mudd Manuscripts Library~~		* Includes: Professional papers
			* Finding aid: See the Princeton library catalog record for details
	~~PAPERS DATES~~: 1881-1949		* Source: NUCMC, MS 61-1069, p. 440

	~~SIZE~~: 15.8 linear ft.; 34 cartons

	~~INCLUDES~~: Professional papers

	~~FINDING AID~~: See the Princeton library catalog record for details

	~~SOURCE~~: NUCMC, MS 61-1069, p. 440.

Egha9: added entry

2023-07-14T21:30:48Z

added entry

New page

1880-1949

ADDRESS:

E-MAIL:

WORKED AT: See a good biographical sketch and selected bibliography of writings in Wikipedia at: <nowiki>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotka</nowiki> This excerpt describes his influence in bibliometrics: "Within the field of bibliometrics, particularly that part devoted to studying scientific publications, Lotka is noted for contributing "Lotka's law." The law which Lotka discovered relates to the productivity of scientists. As noted by W.G. Poitier in 1981: "The Lotka distribution is based on an inverse square law where the number of authors writing n papers is l/n2 of the number of authors writing one paper. Each subject area can have associated with it an exponent representing its specific rate of author productivity." Lotka's work sparked additional inquiries, eventually seminally contributing to the field of scientometrics�the scientific study of scientific publications."

AWARDS:

OFFICES: Royal Economic Society of Population Association(?) Pres. 1938-39; Fellow American Statistical Association Pres. 1942.

PAPERS AT:

LOCATION #1 Princeton University Library, Mudd Manuscripts Library

PAPERS DATES: 1881-1949

SIZE: 15.8 linear ft.; 34 cartons

INCLUDES: Professional papers

FINDING AID: See the Princeton library catalog record for details

SOURCE: NUCMC, MS 61-1069, p. 440.