- Richard Threlkeld Cox
Richard Threlkeld Cox (
1898 -May 2 ,1991 ) was a professor ofphysics atJohns Hopkins University , known forCox's theorem relating to the foundations ofprobability .He was born in
Portland, Oregon the son of attorney Lewis Cox and Elinor Junkin Cox. After Lewis Cox died, Elinor Cox married John Latané, who became a professor at Johns Hopkins University in 1913. In 1915 Richard enrolled at JHU to study physics, but his studies were cut short when he was drafted forWorld War I . He stayed in the US after being drafted and returned to JHU after the war, completing his BA in 1920. He earned his PhD in 1924; his thesis was "A Study of Pfund's Pressure Gauge".He taught at
New York University (NYU) from 1924 to 1943, before returning to JHU to teach. He studied probability theory, the scattering of electrons, and the discharges ofelectric eel s. Richard Cox's most important work was Cox's Theorem.His wife
Shelby Shackleford (1899Halifax, Virginia - 1987), whom he married in 1926, was an accomplished artist and illustrated Richard's books on electric eels.His publications included:
* R. T. Cox, "Probability, Frequency, and Reasonable Expectation," "Am. Jour. Phys.," 14, 1-13, (1946).
* R. T. Cox, "The Algebra of Probable Inference," Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, (1961).
* "Electric Eel Calling" (1941)External links
* http://www.jhuapl.edu/maxent2001/001Tribus.doc (MS Word)
* http://www.jhuapl.edu/maxent2001/richardcox.ppt (MS Power Point presentation)
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