Mathematicians Of The Day
29th January
On this day in 1670, James Gregory wrote to John Collins:
Mr Barrow, in his Optics, showed himself a most subtle geometer, so that I think him superior to any that ever I looked upon: I long exceedingly to see his geometrical lectures, especially because I have some notions upon that same subject by me. I entreat you to send them to me presently as they come from the press, for I esteem the author more than you can easily imagine.A (personally designed) stamp of one of today's mathematicians is at THIS LINK.
Click on Ⓟ for a poster.
Born:
- 1774: Olinthus Gregory Ⓟ
- 1810: Eduard Kummer Ⓟ
- 1817: William Ferrel Ⓟ
- 1888: Sydney Chapman Ⓟ
- 1928: Joseph Kruskal Ⓟ
- 1951: Olabisi Ugbebor Ⓟ
Died:
- 1715: Bernard Lamy Ⓟ
- 1905: François Folie Ⓟ
- 1905: Robert Tucker Ⓟ
- 1910: James Taylor Ⓟ
- 1984: John Whittaker Ⓟ
- 1999: Viktor Aleksandrovich Gorbunov Ⓟ
- 2010: Giovanni Prodi Ⓟ
Quotation of the day
From Bernard Lamy
A discourse is beautiful when it is composed according to the Rules of Art; it is great when it is more than ordinary perspicuous; when there is not one equivocation; no sentence unintelligible; no expression ambiguous; when it is well-disposed, and the mind of the Reader led directly to the end of the design, without the remora or impediment of impertinent words. Such clearness like a Torch dispels all obscurity and makes every thing visible.