Arthur Lee Dixon facts for kids

Arthur Lee Dixon (27 November 1867 – 20 February 1955) was a smart British mathematician. He held a very important job at the University of Oxford, called the Waynflete Professorship of Pure Mathematics. This meant he was one of the top math teachers there.

Early Life and School Days

Arthur Lee Dixon was born on 27 November 1867. His hometown was Pickering in England. His older brother, Alfred Cardew Dixon, was also a mathematician.

From 1879 to 1885, Arthur went to Kingswood School. After that, he went to Worcester College, Oxford to study mathematics. He was a very good student and earned a scholarship.

His Career in Mathematics

In 1891, Arthur Lee Dixon became a Fellow at Merton College. This is a special position for academics at Oxford. Later, in 1922, he became the Waynflete Professor of Pure Mathematics. This was a very high honor in the world of math.

His main work was in an area of math called algebra. He used algebra to understand geometry, which is the study of shapes and spaces. He also studied special kinds of math called elliptic functions and hyperelliptic functions. These are advanced topics in mathematics.

From 1908, he wrote many papers about something called algebraic eliminants. He also worked with another mathematician, W.L. Ferrar, on a dozen papers about analytic number theory. This part of math looks at numbers using tools from calculus.

Arthur Lee Dixon was the last math professor at Oxford to have a "life tenure." This means he could keep his job for his entire life. While he wasn't known for creating brand new math ideas, he published many important papers. His work helped others understand complex math topics better.

In 1912, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a big award for scientists in the UK. From 1924 to 1926, he was the president of the London Mathematical Society. This shows how respected he was by other mathematicians.

Arthur Lee Dixon passed away on 20 February 1955.

His Family Life

In 1902, Arthur Lee Dixon married Catherine Rieder. Catherine found the weather in Oxford difficult for her health. Because of this, she spent a lot of time in Pau, France, to feel better.

Arthur and Catherine had one daughter. She later married a man named F.J. Baden Fuller. After Catherine died in 1930, Arthur moved to Sandgate, Kent. He lived with his daughter and her husband for the rest of his life.