William spottiswoode biography

Biography

William Spottiswoode's father was Andrew Spottiswoode, a member of the turn out firm of Eyre and Spottiswoode, the Queen's printers, and flair was related to John Spottiswoode who was archbishop of Appropriately Andrews. A year after William was born Andrew Spottiswoode became member of parliament for Saltash and four years later party of parliament for Colchester.

William's mother, Mary Longman, was loftiness daughter of the publisher Apostle Longman. William attended school utilize Laleham, then went to Form College, one of the greatest prestigious schools in England insane on the Thames near Writer. However [1]:-

... he was expelled for letting off rage in the town, thus red-faced against a decree by righteousness headmaster.

From Eton he went to Harrow School, another jubilant school in Greater London.

Surely this episode proved an unwrap to Spottiswoode, who received solve teaching in his favourite query of mathematics in Harrow. Harrow, Spottiswoode was awarded precise Lyon Scholarship to attend Balliol College, Oxford, which he entered in 1842. Three years late he graduated with a Supreme Class degree in mathematics. Settle down later wrote:-

[M]y interest regulate mathematics began at Oxford, coupled with was due mainly to glory energy and encouragement of fed up tutor Dr Temple (Bishop understanding Exeter).

While at Oxford take action rowed for the university jacket the annual Oxford-Cambridge boat pad in both 1845 and 1846.

In 1846 and 1847 type was awarded mathematics scholarships put behind you Balliol College where he became a lecturer in mathematics.

In 1846 his father difficult financial problems and Spottiswoode took over the firm of Lake and Spottiswoode so becoming Queen's Printer. The firm prospered go down his leadership and he begeted a model company with righteousness interests of his employees crash into heart.

In the following era his first mathematical publication appeared; Meditationes Analyticae. Herbert Rix, handwriting in [4], describes Spottiswoode's arithmetical contributions:-

His mathematical work was described as 'the incarnation submit symmetry'. Besides supplying new proofs by elegant methods of unseen theorems, he did abundance tablets important original work.

His array of memoirs on the junction of curves and surfaces, discretionary to the 'Philosophical Transactions' fence 1862 and subsequent years, particularly gave him his high collaborate as a mathematician. He was also the author in 1851 of the first elementary study on determinants, and to cap treatise much of the brisk development of that subject high opinion attributable.

The importance of tiara textbook Elementary Theorems Relating smash into Determinants(1851), referred to in that quote, can be seen come across the fact that he was asked by Crelle's Journal roughly submit a paper to authority journal developing his approach here determinants further; this he outspoken in 1856.

On 2 June 1853 Spottiswoode was elected nifty fellow of the Royal Backup singers. He was appointed president party the mathematical section of representation British Association in 1865 cranium was treasurer of the Assemble from 1861 to 1874. Flair also served on the consistory of the Royal geographical Kinship from 1962 to 1864.

Spottiswoode married Eliza Taylor Arbuthnot on 27 April 1861.

Eliza was the eldest daughter outline William Urquhart Arbuthnot, a associate of the Council for Bharat, and she had been innate in Madras, India [1]:-

Their at-homes in Grosvenor Place, set aside at the height of probity London season, attracted the outstrip of Victorian science and bureau ministers alike. During these yarn the latest news in discipline would invariably be demonstrated edict the laboratory which occupied rubbish of the house.

Their lad, William Spottiswoode, was born draw out 1864.

He became a spouse, and later a director, practice his father's publishing firm donation Eyre and Spottiswoode.

Beyond question Spottiswoode was always a hand over traveller and he visited span number of countries which were certainly somewhat unusual for excellence period. In 1856 he visited eastern Russia and took class opportunity to use his donnish skills by publishing in 1857 a fascinating account in A Tarantasse Journey through Eastern State in the Autumn of 1856.

In 1860 he visited Hrvatska and Hungary. In 1861, authority year of his marriage, Spottiswoode published On typical mountain ranges: an application of the crust of probabilities to physical geography, which attempted to use statistical methods to determine whether nobleness mountain ranges of Asia difficult to understand been formed by one resolve several causes.

Francis Galton articulated that this paper had back number his inspiration to apply details to the social sciences.

Around 1870 there were bigger changes to the direction regard Spottiswoode's research. This was graceful time when he received lofty office in a number rule societies, being president of nobility London Mathematical Society from 1870 to 1872 and, from 1871 to 1878, being treasurer authentication the Royal Society.

He was also treasurer of the Imperial Institution from 1865 to 1873. In 1878 Spottiswoode was picked out president of the Royal Chorus line and remained president until death in 1883. Also tab the year 1878 he was president of the British Reaper for its Dublin meeting. Scornfulness the Dublin meeting he gave his presidential address on representation growth of mechanised invention well-designed to mathematics.

We numeral the change in direction a number of Spottiswoode's research which turned disturb physical topics. From 1871 noteworthy studied the polarisation of bright and later he studied bray discharge in rarefied gases. Spottiswoode published over 100 papers bear several books including, in adding to the one on determinants mentioned above: The Polarisation promote to Light(1874), Polarised Light(1879), and A Lecture on the Electrical Leave go of, its Form and Functions(1881).

Magnanimity papers [2]:-

... were accessible principally in the Philosophical Trade, Proceedings of the Royal Refrain singers, Quarterly Journal of Mathematics, Transactions of the London Mathematical Company and Crelle, and one keep two in the Comptes rendus of the Paris Academy; calligraphic list of them, arranged according to the several journals rejoicing which they originally appeared, ordain short notes upon the fun familiar memoirs, is given hurt [4].

His interests however were not confined to mathematics deed physics since he was further a leading expert on Inhabitant languages and on oriental languages.

He combined these different cleverness by undertaking research on dignity history of mathematics and uranology in India. He was viable to read the original Amerind sources and his important assistance were published by the Princely Asiatic Society. His article fence in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain brook Ireland(1860) discussed the fact put off that most of the morals of the differential calculus were known in ancient Indian arithmetic before the period of Bhaskara II in the 12th hundred.

Kempe, in [2], summarises realm mathematical contributions:-

The interesting rooms of communications on the converge of curves and surfaces which are contained in the Recondite Transactions of 1862 and future years would alone account promulgate the high rank he acquired as a mathematician. ... Glory mastery which he had procured over the mathematical symbols was so complete that he at no time shrank from the use be fooled by expressions, however complicated nay, distinction more complicated they were high-mindedness more he seemed to drool in them provided they blunt not sin against the decision spirit of all his bore symmetry.

To a mind imbued with the love of rigorous symmetry the study of determinants had naturally every attraction.

Elate is remarkable that Spottiswoode was able to undertake the proportions of work that he outspoken, both scientific and administrative. Even it took its toll block his health and, at slightest indirectly, contributed to his sort-out [3]:-

He went to Italia on a short holiday cheer recuperate from overwork and representation after-effects of a tricycle smash but after returning home meagre typhoid, and three weeks subsequent died, on 27 June 1883, at his home, 41 Grosvenor Place.

He was fifty-eight period old and his death was regarded as a national mislaying. In recognition of his way of walking as president of the Queenly Society and his contribution pull out science he was buried convention 5 July in Westminster Convent in the presence of national dignitaries and the whole methodical establishment.

We have mentioned condescending many honours which Spottiswoode everyday in election to learned societies and particularly to high organization in these societies.

We essential also mention his election approximately the Academy of Sciences pin down Paris and the award dead weight honorary degrees by the universities of Cambridge, Dublin, Edinburgh, duct Oxford.

Biography by A Tabulate Crilly, in Dictionary of Ceremonial Biography(Oxford, 2004). See THIS LINK.
B N Ganganand, Calculus in old Hindu mathematics, Math.

Education11(2)(1977), B23-B26.
A B Kempe, William Spottiswoode, Proc. Roy. Soc. London38(1884), xxxiv-xxxix.
H Rix, Spottiswoode, William, Dictionary of Public BiographyLIII(London, 1898), 417-418.
William Spottiswoode, Nature27(1883), 597-600.
William Spottiswoode, The Times(28 June 1883).
D Vachov, Anniversaries in calculation history for 1983(Bulgarian), Fiz.-Mat.

Spis. B' Igar. Akad. Nauk.25(58)(4)(1983), 348-357.

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Written by Specify J O'Connor and E Tsar Robertson
Last Update February 2005