George Ballard Mathews facts for kids

George Ballard Mathews (born February 23, 1861 – died March 19, 1922) was an important English mathematician. He was known for his work in number theory and projective geometry. He also taught at universities and wrote several textbooks that helped students learn about advanced math topics.

Early Life and Learning

George Mathews was born in London, England. He went to Ludlow Grammar School, where he learned many languages, including Hebrew, Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin. After school, he studied at University College, London. There, his teacher, Olaus Henrici, helped him see that mathematics was not just about rules and formulas, but about discovering new things.

Later, George prepared for the tough Cambridge Mathematical Tripos exam with the help of William Henry Besant. In 1883, he achieved the top score, becoming the "Senior Wrangler." This was a great honor, and he was then chosen as a Fellow at St John's College, Cambridge.

A Career in Mathematics

In 1884, George Mathews became a professor of mathematics at the new University College of North Wales in Bangor, Wales. He worked with other smart scientists and teachers there. During this time, he wrote his first textbook, Theory of Numbers. Part I, which was published in 1892. This book was an introduction to number theory, a branch of math that studies whole numbers and their properties. It's believed that the famous Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan might have studied this book.

In 1896, George left Bangor and moved to Cambridge University, where he worked as a university lecturer. He was elected to the Royal Society in 1897, which is a group of many of the world's most important scientists. He continued his work there until 1906, when he decided to leave Cambridge.

Later Works and Ideas

After leaving Cambridge, George Mathews returned to Bangor, Wales, and once again taught at the University College of North Wales. He wrote another book called Algebraic Equations in 1907. In 1914, he published a book on projective geometry, which is a type of geometry that studies properties of shapes that stay the same even when the shape is stretched or projected. This book was special because it looked closely at the basic ideas of geometry.

In 1915, Glasgow University gave him an honorary degree. In 1922, he worked with his friend Andrew Gray to publish a book about Bessel's functions, which are special mathematical functions used in many areas of science and engineering.

George Mathews also wrote many book reviews for the science magazine Nature. These short writings allowed him to share his thoughts. For example, he wrote that the study of pure mathematics has contributed more than anything else to the "history of culture" and how people think. He believed that mathematics is a great creation of the human mind and that we should always work to understand it better.

He even made a prediction in 1916, during World War I. He warned that if England didn't value science more, it would face serious problems in the future. He believed that the next big conflict would be fought with "brains" and new inventions, not just traditional weapons.

Final Years

Sadly, George Mathews' health became weak due to poor nutrition during the food rationing of World War I. He had surgery in 1919 and a seizure in 1921, and he never fully recovered. He passed away on March 19, 1922.

His friend Andrew Gray described him as a very smart person who was interested in many different ideas, including philosophy. Gray also noted that George was a sensitive person who didn't like to draw attention to himself, which meant he might not have received all the recognition he deserved for his important work.

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  George Ballard Mathews, a notable English mathematician.