Dr. Jack Elton Bresenham

The holder of nine patents; in 1962, while at IBM, he developed a line algorithm, known as Bresenham's line algorithm. It is one of the earliest algorithms discovered in the field of computer graphics. Bresenham's line algorithm is an algorithm that determines which points in an n-dimensional raster should be plotted in order to form a close approximation to a straight line between two given points. It is commonly used to draw lines on a computer screen, as it uses only integer addition, subtraction and bit shifting, all of which are very cheap operations in standard computer architectures. It is one of the earliest algorithms developed in the field of computer graphics. The algorithm is used in hardware such as plotters and in the graphics chips of modern graphics cards. It can also be found in many software graphics libraries. Because the algorithm is very simple, it is often implemented in either the firmware or the graphics hardware of modern graphics cards. The label "Bresenham" is used today for a whole family of algorithms extending or modifying Bresenham's original algorithm. The Midpoint circle algorithm shares some similarities to his line algorithm and is known as Bresenham's circle algorithm. Born in Clovis, New Mexico he received his B.S.E.E. degree from the University of New Mexico in 1959; his M.S.I.E. degree from Stanford University in 1960; and his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1964. He joined IBM in 1960 and retired after 27 years of service as a Senior Technical Staff Member in 1987. He was also a professor of Computer Science for 16 years at Winthrop University. His four children are: Janet Lyn, Craig Elton (died 1963), Linda Jo (died 2008), and David Floyd.