Benjamin Donn facts for kids

Benjamin Donn (born 1729, died 1798) was a smart English mathematician. He was also a geographer who made maps and taught math and science.

Benjamin Donn's Early Life and Teaching Career

Benjamin Donn was born in a town called Bideford in Devon, England. His father and older brother, Abraham, ran a school there. Benjamin also became a teacher. Until 1768, he taught math and natural philosophy in Bideford. He taught using the ideas of Isaac Newton, a famous scientist.

Moving to Bristol and New Plans

In 1768, Benjamin Donn moved to Bristol. He became the librarian for the Bristol Library. He had an idea to turn the library into a special school for math, but it didn't happen.

Since his library job wasn't too busy, he started his own school in Bristol. It was located near St. Michael's Church. In the same year, he published a book called Young Shopkeeper's &c. Companion. He wrote this book especially for his new school.

Besides teaching at his school, he also gave special lectures. These were about experimental philosophy, which is like hands-on science. People paid one guinea (an old type of money) to attend his fourteen lectures.

Lectures and Royal Appointment

Benjamin Donn continued giving these lectures even after he left Bristol. He moved to Kingston, a village near Taunton. He would give his lectures during the Christmas or summer holidays. He was willing to travel far for his students. For example, he would travel 30 miles if 20 people signed up. He would go 50 miles if 30 people wanted to attend. By 1775, he had settled down in Kingston.

Later in his life, Benjamin Donn received an important job. He was named the "master of mechanics" to the king. This happened after the previous person in that role, Anthony Shepherd, passed away. Benjamin Donn died in June 1798. In one of his books, Mathematical Tables (1789), he mentioned adding a final 'e' to his name. However, on the book's title page, his name was still spelled Donn.

Benjamin Donn's Published Works and Maps

Map of Devonshire by Benjamin Donn (1765)

From 1749 to 1756, Benjamin Donn wrote for a magazine called the Gentleman's Diary. He wrote about eclipses he saw in Bideford. He also answered most of the math questions in the magazine during that time. He stopped writing for it after 1756.

In 1765, Donn created a detailed map of Devonshire. He surveyed the land himself to make it. For this amazing work, he received £100 from the Society of Arts. He made other maps too. He also designed and built mathematical tools. A list of these tools can be found in his book Mathematical Tables from 1789.

Eighteenth-century map of the city and region around Bristol, England.

Here are some of his other important books:

• A New Introduction to the Mathematics (1758): This book taught about basic math like fractions and decimals. A second edition came out in 1764.
• The Geometrician (1759): This book focused on geometry, which is the study of shapes and spaces. It also covered trigonometry, which deals with triangles.
• The Accountant (1759): This book explained how to keep financial records using different accounting methods.
• Essay on the Doctrine and Application of Circulating or Infinite Decimals (1759): This book was all about repeating decimals.
• The Schoolmaster's Repository, or Pupil's Exercise (1764): This was a helpful book for teachers and students, meant to go along with his math essays.
• Epitome of Natural and Experimental Philosophy (1771): This book summarized natural and experimental science.
• The Young Shopkeeper's, Steward's, and Factor's Companion (1768): This book was a guide for people working in shops or managing money.
• The British Mariner's Assistant (1774): This book had many tables and information useful for sailors and navigation.
• Mathematical Tables, or Tables of Logarithms (1789): This book contained important mathematical tables, including logarithms, which are used in calculations.