Isabel Maddison facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ada Isabel Maddison
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Isabel Maddison, c. 1920
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| Born | 12 April 1869 |
| Died | 22 October 1950 (aged 81) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Bryn Mawr |
| Known for | differential equations |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | Bryn Mawr |
| Thesis | On Singular Solutions of Differential Equations of the First Order in Two Variables and the Geometrical Properties of Certain Invariants and Covariants of Their Complete Primitives (1896) |
| Doctoral advisor | Charlotte Scott |
Ada Isabel Maddison (born 1869, died 1950) was a smart British mathematician. She is famous for her work on differential equations, which are special types of math problems.
Contents
Isabel's Early Studies
Isabel Maddison started studying at University College in Cardiff in 1885. Later, in 1889, she won a special scholarship. This allowed her to study at Girton College, Cambridge University.
At Cambridge, she studied with another bright student named Grace Chisholm. Isabel also attended lectures by famous mathematicians like Cayley.
In 1892, Isabel did very well on the tough Mathematical Tripos exam at Cambridge. She earned a First Class degree, which was a top honor. However, because she was a woman, Cambridge University did not officially give her a degree. Instead, she received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of London in 1893.
Studying in the US and Germany
After Cambridge, Isabel won another scholarship. This allowed her to go to Bryn Mawr College in the United States for a year (1892–1893). There, she did research with Charlotte Scott. Charlotte Scott was the first woman to earn a First Class degree in math at Cambridge.
Isabel then received another fellowship, called the Mary E. Garrett Fellowship. This helped her study abroad. She used it to go to the University of Göttingen in Germany from 1893 to 1894. In Germany, she attended lectures by famous mathematicians like Felix Klein and David Hilbert.
In 1896, Isabel earned her PhD degree from Bryn Mawr College.
Isabel's Career and Work
Isabel Maddison was very interested in a math area called linear algebra. She learned about it from Arthur Cayley at Cambridge. When she first arrived at Bryn Mawr College, she continued to work on this topic. Later, her advisor Charlotte Scott suggested she focus on singular solutions of differential equations.
Even though she had done so well at Cambridge, Isabel still needed an official degree. So, in 1893, she took exams from the University of London. This allowed her to officially graduate with a Bachelor of Science with honors.
Bryn Mawr College gave her a special math fellowship. This helped her continue her studies there in 1893–1894. She then received the Mary E. Garrett European Fellowship. This allowed her to spend 1894–1895 studying in Göttingen, Germany. There, she met her friend Grace Chisholm again, who was also studying for her doctorate. Isabel attended many lectures and was part of the exciting math world in Germany.
Working at Bryn Mawr College
In 1895, Isabel Maddison returned to Bryn Mawr College. She became an assistant to the college president, M. Carey Thomas. This job was very demanding and took up a lot of her time. Because of this, she couldn't do as much math research as she wanted. However, she did finish her PhD under Charlotte Scott's guidance.
In 1896, she earned her PhD for her thesis on differential equations. In the same year, she became a Reader in Mathematics at Bryn Mawr. She also published a paper based on her PhD work. This paper earned her the Gambel Prize. She also translated a speech by Felix Klein into English. She also wrote a note about the history of the map coloring problem.
In 1904, she became an associate professor and continued as assistant to the president. Isabel Maddison stayed at Bryn Mawr College until she retired in 1926.
Later Life and Legacy
After retiring, Isabel Maddison went back to England for a while. Later, she returned to Pennsylvania in the US. In her later years, she spent time writing poetry instead of doing math.
Isabel Maddison left a large sum of money in her will. This money was given in memory of M. Carey Thomas, the former president of Bryn Mawr College. It was used to create a pension fund for the college's administrative staff.
Isabel was also a member of important math groups. She joined the American Mathematical Society in 1897. She was also a life member of the London Mathematical Society. After she passed away, the college remembered her for her "natural and gentle sweetness" and her "love of youth."
See also
In Spanish: Isabel Maddison para niños
