Copyright

Adrian Rice

Published On

2024-09-04

Page Range

pp. 2–28

Language

  • English

Print Length

27 pages

1. De Morgan and Mathematics

Chapter of: Augustus De Morgan, Polymath: New Perspectives on his Life and Legacy(pp. 2–28)
If Augustus De Morgan is remembered at all today, it is primarily for the pair of algebraic laws that bear his name, for he proved no major theorem, made no notable mathematical discoveries, and published no magnum opus. Indeed, it is hard to identify much in today’s mathematics for which he was responsible. Yet he was described by contemporaries as ‘one of the most eminent mathematicians and logicians of his time’ and ‘one of the profoundest and subtlest thinkers of the nineteenth century’. And his mathematical publications spanned a far greater array of subjects than his current limited fame would suggest, including algebra, logic, probability, actuarial mathematics, differential equations, mathematical education, and the history of mathematics—some of which will be discussed in more detail in subsequent chapters.
In this chapter, we explore the range of De Morgan’s activities as a mathematician, including his mathematical research, his philosophy of the subject, and his work as the first professor of mathematics at University College London. In doing so, we aim to answer two questions: why was De Morgan’s mathematical reputation so high in the nineteenth century? And why, in comparison, is he so little-known today?

Contributors

Adrian Rice

(author)
Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett Professor of Mathematics at Randolph–Macon College
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8731-312X

Adrian Rice is the Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett Professor of Mathematics at Randolph-Macon College, Virginia, USA. He has held visiting positions at the University of Virginia (1998-99) and the University of Oxford (2014-15). His research focuses on the history of mathematics in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with particular emphasis on the work of Augustus De Morgan. Previous books include Mathematics in Victorian Britain, co-edited with Raymond Flood and Robin Wilson (Oxford University Press, 2011) and Ada Lovelace: The Making of a Computer Scientist, co-authored with Christopher Hollings and Ursula Martin (Bodleian Library, 2018).