John Hilton Grace facts for kids

John Hilton Grace (born May 21, 1873 – died March 4, 1958) was a smart British mathematician. He was known for his work in mathematics. A special idea in math, called the Grace–Walsh–Szegő theorem, is partly named after him. This shows how important his contributions were to the world of numbers and equations.

Early Life and Learning

John Hilton Grace was born in a small town called Halewood. This town is close to Liverpool in England. He was the oldest of six children in his family. His father, William Grace, was a farmer.

John went to the local village school first. Later, he studied at the Liverpool Institute. In 1892, he went to Peterhouse, Cambridge University. There, he focused on studying mathematics. His nephew, Alan Robertson, also became a famous scientist. Alan studied animal genetics.

A Career in Mathematics

In 1897, John Grace became a Fellow at Peterhouse. This is a special honor at a university. He also started teaching mathematics there. He taught at Peterhouse and Pembroke colleges.

One of his important papers was written in 1902. It was about "The Zeros of a Polynomial." This paper explored how to find specific solutions in math problems. In 1903, he worked with another mathematician, Alfred Young. They wrote a book together called Algebra of Invariants.

In 1908, John Grace was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom. It means he was recognized for his excellent work.

During 1916 and 1917, he worked as a visiting professor in Lahore. He also helped out at Aberdeen University. He filled in for another professor during the war.

In 1922, John Grace had to stop working because of his health. He then moved to Norfolk. He passed away in Huntingdon in 1958. He was buried in his family's grave in Halewood.