George Salmon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Salmon
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| Born | 25 September 1819 |
| Died | 22 January 1904 (aged 84) |
| Spouse(s) | Frances Anne Salvador |
| Awards | Royal Medal (1868) Copley Medal (1889) |
George Salmon (born September 25, 1819 – died January 22, 1904) was a very important Irish mathematician and Anglican theologian. He was a member of the British Academy, the Royal Society of London, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. For about 20 years, he focused on a type of math called algebraic geometry. After that, he spent the last 40 years of his life studying and writing about theology (the study of religion). George Salmon spent his entire working life at Trinity College Dublin.
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Early Life and Career
George Salmon was born in Dublin, Ireland. His parents were Michael Salmon and Helen Weekes. He spent his childhood in Cork City, where his father worked as a linen merchant. George went to Hamblin and Porter's School in Cork.
In 1833, when he was 14, he started studying at Trinity College Dublin. He was a very bright student. In 1837, he won a special scholarship. He graduated from Trinity in 1839 with top honors in mathematics.
By 1841, at just 21 years old, he became a paid teacher and researcher in mathematics at Trinity. He also studied theology. In 1844, he became a deacon, and in 1845, he became a priest in the Church of Ireland. That same year, he also got a teaching job in theology at the university. He stayed at Trinity College for his whole career.
George Salmon passed away at the Provost's House in Trinity College on January 22, 1904. He was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery in Dublin. He loved to read throughout his life. People who knew him said he especially enjoyed the novels by Jane Austen.
Family Life
In 1844, George Salmon married Frances Anne Salvador. She was the daughter of Reverend J. L. Salvador. They had six children together. Sadly, only two of their children lived longer than their parents.
His Work in Mathematics
In the late 1840s and 1850s, George Salmon often communicated with other famous mathematicians. These included Arthur Cayley and James Joseph Sylvester. Along with a few others, they were creating a new way to understand algebra and geometry. This new system dealt with shapes and equations in many dimensions.
During this time, Salmon wrote about 36 papers for math journals. In these papers, he usually solved specific, detailed problems in algebraic geometry. He quickly adopted the new ideas from Cayley and the other mathematicians.
In 1859, he published an important book called Lessons Introductory to the Modern Higher Algebra. The word "higher" here means dealing with many dimensions. This book quickly became the leading textbook on the subject. It was updated and expanded several times. It was also translated into German and French.
From 1858 to 1867, he held a special teaching position at Trinity called the Donegall Lecturer in Mathematics.
Earlier, in 1848, Salmon had written a textbook for university students. It was called A Treatise on Conic Sections. This book was very popular and stayed in print for over 50 years. It had five updated editions in English. It was also translated into German, French, and Italian. Salmon also wrote two other math books: A Treatise on Higher Plane Curves (1852) and A Treatise on the Analytic Geometry of Three Dimensions (1862). These books were also used for a long time.
George Salmon received several awards for his math work. In 1858, he got the Cunningham Medal. In 1863, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1868, he received their Royal Medal for his work in geometry. In 1889, he was given the Copley Medal. This is the highest award in British science. However, by then, he had mostly moved on from mathematics.
He also received honorary degrees from different universities. One was from the Royal Frederick University in 1902. They gave him a special math degree when they celebrated the 100th birthday of mathematician Niels Henrik Abel.
A math idea called Salmon's theorem|ru|Теорема Сальмона is named after George Salmon.
His Work in Theology
From the early 1860s, George Salmon spent most of his time on theology. In 1866, he became the Regius Professor of Divinity at Trinity College Dublin. At this point, he left his job in the math department. In 1871, he also took on another role as chancellor of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.
One of his first theology writings was in 1853. He contributed to a book that argued against certain religious ideas of the time. Arguing against some beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church was a common theme in Salmon's theology. This led to his famous 1888 book, Infallibility of the Church. In this book, he argued that some Roman Catholic beliefs were not logical. He especially disagreed with the ideas of the infallibility of the church and the infallibility of the pope.
Salmon also wrote books about topics like eternal punishment, miracles, and how to understand the New Testament. His book An Historical Introduction to the Study of the Books of the New Testament was widely read. It explained how the gospels (parts of the New Testament) were understood in the early centuries of Christianity. He looked at the writings of early Christian leaders like Irenaeus and Eusebius.
George Salmon and Chess
George Salmon was a very keen chess player. He supported the University Chess Club. He was also the President of the Dublin Chess Club from 1890 to 1903.
He even played in the second British Chess Congress. In 1858, he had the honor of playing against the famous chess genius Paul Morphy. He also beat another strong player, Daniel Harrwitz, in an interesting game.
Salmon even mentioned chess a few times in his book Infallibility of the Church:
- He said that if you are arguing against the idea of papal infallibility, it's the most important point to win. If you lose that point, all other arguments don't matter much. He compared it to a chess player who wins many pieces but then gets their king checkmated.
- In another chess example, Salmon said that if you meet a player who claims they've never been beaten, you could offer them a handicap, like starting without a rook. He meant that people only think they are unbeatable if they haven't faced a truly strong opponent.
- Salmon also said that if you play someone who usually needs a big handicap (like starting without a queen), you would be easy on them. You might even let them take back a bad move. He used this to say that he was so sure the Popes had made mistakes that he wasn't afraid to admit when they had been right.
Provost of Trinity College Dublin
George Salmon became the Provost (the head) of Trinity College from 1888 until his death in 1904. A major event during his time as Provost was in 1892. He led the big celebrations for the college's 300th birthday. Trinity College had been founded by Queen Elizabeth I.
Women Admitted to Trinity
Trinity College had started "Examinations for Women" in 1870. This was after a request from Alexandra College. In 1880, some people at Trinity suggested that women should be able to earn degrees, just like men. The Provost at the time, Humphrey Lloyd, did not support this idea, and the proposal was defeated.
In 1881, John Jellett became Provost. A committee was formed in 1882 to look into the matter. George Salmon was on this committee, and he was against admitting women. Even with the new Provost's support, the committee didn't make much progress.
Salmon was Provost during a campaign by the Central Association of Irish Schoolmistresses (CAISM) to admit women. Alice Oldham was an important person in this campaign. Salmon and the college board were generally not open to the idea. Salmon was a traditional person, but his strong opposition to women's admission wasn't simple. He had been on the council of Alexandra College, which supported girls. His own daughter even helped coordinate the "Examinations for Women" and was a member of CAISM.
By 1896, all eight members of the college board were over 70 years old. But by 1901, new members who supported admitting women had joined the board.
In 1902, John Mahaffy suggested that it was time to act on allowing women to get degrees. The board approved this. Even though Salmon was against it, a committee was set up. By the end of 1902, the board decided to ask the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, William Ward, to allow women to be admitted.
In 1903, Ward replied, saying that the Provost's agreement was needed. George Salmon officially withdrew his objections in July 1903. The official papers allowing women to be admitted arrived at the board meeting on January 16, 1904. This was George Salmon's last board meeting.
It is said that he once claimed women would only be admitted to Trinity "over his dead body." By coincidence, he died on January 22, 1904. Immediately after his death, Isabel Marion Weir Johnston became the first woman undergraduate to register at Trinity. By the end of that year, many other women had also registered. She remembered, "When I arrived in Dublin 1904, I was informed that he [Salmon] had died that day, and the examination had to be put off until after the funeral."
His Death
Salmon continued to attend board meetings right up until his death. When he died, George Salmon had been a well-known figure at Trinity for over 62 years. Even those who disagreed with him liked him. Two people, Anthony Traill and John Mahaffy, were very eager to become Provost after Salmon. They were trying to get the position on the very day he died.
There's a funny story that Salmon supposedly told just before he died. He dreamed that he had died, and his funeral was moving across the main square. Weeping Fellows and Scholars followed his coffin. The coffin was placed in the chapel, "and then," he said, "I sat up in my coffin, whereupon Mahaffy and Trail wept louder than ever."
See also
- Cubic surface
- Glossary of invariant theory
- Quaternary cubic
- Ternary quartic
- Salmon points
