Staff profile

Dr Simon J Smith

Deputy Head of Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Associate Professor

Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Business Building, Room 2.12, Bendigo

 

Qualifications

BSc Hons UTAS., PhD NE.

Membership of professional associations

Australian Mathematical Society, Mathematical Association of America

Area of study

Mathematics and Statistics

Brief profile

Simon undertook his undergraduate studies at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, then completed a PhD in complex analysis at the University of New England in Armidale, northern New South Wales. In 1988 he moved to Bendigo, joining what is now the Department of Mathematics and Statistics of La Trobe University. Currently he is Deputy Head of the Department.

Over the years Simon has taught subjects in a variety of areas, including calculus and precalculus, discrete mathematics, linear algebra, complex analysis, numerical methods, operations research and introductory statistics.

Simon's primary research interests are in approximation theory, particularly polynomial and weighted polynomial interpolation. The main emphasis of the work has been on Lagrange interpolation and its generalization to higher orders (the Hermite-Fejér processes), based on special node systems (such as equally-spaced points and the zeros of Chebyshev polynomials). A particular focus has been the determination of precise estimates for so-called Lebesgue constants (norms of the interpolation operators).

Research interests

Approximation theory

- Please contact me to discuss a topic.

Polynomial Interpolation

- Please contact me to discuss a topic.

Teaching units

MAT1CA Calculus A (Semester 1)

MAT1MIT Mathematics for IT (Semester 1)

MAT1DIS Discrete Mathematics (Semester 2)

MAT3CA Complex Analysis (Semester 2)

Recent publications

  • Simon J. Smith, A simple error estimate for Newton-Cotes integration, Far East J. Math. Sci. (FJMS) 53 (2011), 45–52.

  • Simon J. Smith, On a weighted interpolation of functions with circular majorant, J. Inequal. Pure Appl. Math. 10 (2009), Article 33, 10 pp. (electronic).

  • W. L. Champion, T. M. Mills and Simon J. Smith, Lost in space, Math. Sci. 32 (2007), 88–96.

  • Simon J. Smith, Lebesgue constants in polynomial interpolation, Ann. Math. Inform. 33 (2006), 109–123.

  • Simon J. Smith, On a conjecture for weighted interpolation using Chebyshev polynomials of the third and fourth kinds, Carpathian J. Math. 22 (2006), 147–151.

  • Simon J. Smith, On the projection norm for a weighted interpolation using Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind, Math. Pannon. 16 (2005) 95–103.

  • Simon J. Smith, The Lebesgue function for Lagrange interpolation on the augmented Chebyshev nodes, Publ. Math. Debrecen 66 (2005), 25–39.