James Cockle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir James Cockle
|
|
|---|---|
Sir James Cockle, first Chief Justice of Queensland, 1876
|
|
| 1st Chief Justice of Queensland | |
| In office 21 February 1863 – 24 June 1879 |
|
| Succeeded by | Charles Lilley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 January 1819 |
| Died | 27 January 1895 (aged 76) London |
| Known for | Method of differential resolvents Split-quaternion Tessarines |
Sir James Cockle (born January 14, 1819 – died January 27, 1895) was an important English lawyer and a brilliant mathematician. He was born in England, the second son of a surgeon named James Cockle.
He studied at Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Cambridge. After his studies, he became a lawyer. He was appointed as the first Chief Justice of Queensland, Australia, on February 21, 1863. A Chief Justice is the main judge in a court system. Sir James served in this important role until he retired on June 24, 1879.
In 1865, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected group for scientists. He was also honored with a knighthood in 1869, which is why he is called "Sir." He returned to England in 1878.
Sir James's Family Life
Sir James married a woman named Adelaide. She became Lady Cockle when he was knighted in 1869.
Their home in Australia, called Oakwal, is in Windsor, Queensland, which is part of Brisbane. This house is now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because of its historical importance. People believe they named their home "Oakwal" by combining parts of their birthplaces: "Oak" from Sir James's birthplace, Great Oakley, Essex, and "Wal" from Lady Cockle's birthplace, Walton, Suffolk.
His Amazing Math and Science Work
Sir James Cockle is also remembered for his deep studies in math and science. He created new number systems, like "tessarines" and "coquaternions." He also worked with another famous mathematician, Arthur Cayley, on a field of math called linear algebra.
Like many young mathematicians, he tried to solve a very difficult math problem called the "quintic equation." Even though it was known that this equation couldn't be solved in a simple way, Cockle still made important discoveries in this area. He also helped develop the theory of "differential equations," which are special kinds of math problems used in many areas of science and engineering.
Sir James was very interested in scientific groups. From 1863 to 1879, he was the president of the Queensland Philosophical Society in Australia. When he moved back to England, he joined the London Mathematical Society and was its president from 1886 to 1888. He was also a member of the council for the Royal Astronomical Society. He passed away in London on January 27, 1895.
After he died, a special notice about his life was published. His wife later gave a collection of his scientific and mathematical research to the British Museum. Sir James was quite successful during his life and left a large amount of money.
See also
- Judiciary of Australia
- List of judges of the Supreme Court of Queensland
