Michele Caputo

Michele Caputo
Michele Caputo (geofisico)
Born (1927-05-05) 5 May 1927 (age 99)
Ferrara, Italy
EducationUniversity of Bologna
Known forCaputo fractional derivative
Scientific career
FieldsGeophysics
Geodesy
Fractional calculus
WorkplacesUniversity of Trieste
Sapienza University of Rome
Texas A&M University

Michele Caputo (born 5 May 1927) is an Italian geophysicist, geodesist, and mathematician.

Caputo is known for his formulation of the Caputo fractional derivative.

Education

Caputo obtained degrees in mathematics and physics from the University of Bologna.

Career

In his research on seismological Q-models, Caputo introduced a notion of fractional derivative which now bears his name. For a nonnegative integer m and fractional part 0<z<1, the Caputo fractional derivative of order m+z is defined by dm+zd⁡xm+z[f(x)]=1Γ⁡(1−z)∫0xf(m+1)(t)(x−t)zd⁡t provided that f is smooth on (0,∞).

Caputo conducted geomagnetic, gravimetric, and glaciological research during the 1954 Italian Karakoram expedition.

References

  1. ↑ Lamberto Luminari, "Caputo, Michele", in Enciclopedia Italiana, Appendix IV, Treccani, 1978.
  2. ↑ "Caputo, Michele". Academy of Europe. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Caputo, Michele (1967). "Linear Models of Dissipation whose Q is almost Frequency Independent-II". ResearchGate. 13 (5): 530. Bibcode:1967GeoJ...13..529C. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.1967.tb02303.x.
  4. ↑ Marussi, Antonio (1964). Geophysics of the Karakorum (PDF). Brill Archive. Retrieved 2 September 2026.