Walter Edwin Arnoldi

Walter Edwin Arnoldi (1917 to 1995) was an American engineer, mainly known for the Arnoldi iteration, an eigenvalue algorithm used in numerical linear algebra. His main research interests included modelling vibrations, acoustics, the aerodynamics of aircraft propellers and the oxygen reclamation problems of space science. His 1951 paper on the principle of minimized iterations in the solution of the matrix eigenvalue problem is one of the most cited papers in numerical linear algebra. Born in New York City, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology in 1937 and a Master of Science degree from Harvard University. He worked at the Hamilton Standard Division of the United Technologies Corporation, known as United Aircraft for much of his career, from 1939 until he retired in 1977. He lived in West Hartford, Connecticut, from 1950 and died there in 1995.