Henry Charles McWeeney facts for kids
Henry Charles McWeeney (born 1867, died 1935) was an important Irish mathematician. He was a Professor of Mathematics at University College Dublin (UCD) for a long time, from 1891 until he passed away in 1935. He also served as the Vice President of UCD starting in 1909.
Early Life and Learning
Henry McWeeney was born in Dublin, Ireland. He studied at University College Dublin, where he earned his first degree in 1887 and a master's degree in 1890. He also studied at Trinity College Dublin, getting another degree in 1889.
In 1891, he won a special award called a Royal University of Ireland Travelling Studentship. This award helped him continue his studies. He spent his entire working life at UCD. From 1892 to 1910, he also taught at St Patrick's College, Drumcondra.
Learning from Great Teachers
When McWeeney was a student at UCD in the 1880s, he learned from Professor John Casey. McWeeney remembered that Professor Casey's explanations were very clear and easy to understand.
He also learned a lot from Robert Graham, a skilled teacher from Trinity College. Graham was known for being great at helping students prepare for exams. McWeeney felt that Graham was a top-notch teacher and helped him begin his own journey in mathematics.
A Special Teaching Style
J. R. Timoney wrote an article about mathematics at UCD. He remembered how Professor McWeeney and another teacher, Fr Egan, gave special lectures to new students in 1927.
These lectures were quite challenging! McWeeney would solve very difficult problems from scholarship exams. Fr Egan's lecture on irrational numbers was also very complex. This was a way to see which students were truly dedicated to studying advanced mathematics. The students who stuck with it found that things became a bit easier later on.
Timoney described McWeeney as a "magnificent teacher" and a very elegant geometer (someone who studies shapes and spaces). McWeeney often used to say, "if you attack it judiciously it will come out in a line." This meant that if you approached a problem smartly, the solution would become clear and simple.
