Lawrence Rooke facts for kids

Lawrence Rooke (born 1622, died 1662) was an English scientist. He was an expert in astronomy (the study of stars and planets) and mathematics (the study of numbers and shapes). He also helped start a very important group called the Royal Society. Sadly, he passed away just as the Royal Society was officially being formed.

Early Life and Education

Lawrence Rooke was born in a place called Deptford, England. He went to school at Eton College. Later, he studied at King's College, Cambridge. He earned his master's degree there in 1647.

After his studies, he had some health problems. Because of this, he took a break from his academic work. In 1650, he joined Wadham College, Oxford. There, he worked closely with other smart people like John Wilkins and Seth Ward.

A Professor of Science

In 1652, Lawrence Rooke became a professor. He taught astronomy at Gresham College in London. Astronomy is the study of space, stars, and planets.

A few years later, in 1657, he became the Professor of Geometry at the same college. Geometry is a part of mathematics that deals with shapes and sizes. Even Oliver Cromwell, a very important leader at the time, was interested in this appointment.

His Scientific Work

Lawrence Rooke did not publish much during his lifetime. However, he left behind many important papers. These papers were about finding longitude (a way to figure out your position on Earth). They also discussed the moons of Jupiter. These works were published after he died.

He also wrote special instructions for sailors. The Royal Society asked him to create these directions. They taught sailors how to properly record weather and ocean observations. This information was very useful for long sea voyages. These directions were published in a science journal in 1665.

Named After Him

A special place on the Moon is named after Lawrence Rooke. It is a circular mountain range called Montes Rook. This shows how important his work in astronomy was.