Robert Wood (mathematician) facts for kids

Robert Wood (born around 1622, died 1685) was an English mathematician. He was known for his work on fixing the calendar and his involvement with important scientific groups of his time.

Early Life and Education

Robert Wood was born in a place called Pepperharrow, near Godalming in Surrey, either in 1621 or 1622. His father, also named Robert Wood, was a rector (a type of church leader) in Pepperharrow.

Robert went to a famous school called Eton College. After that, he studied at New Inn Hall and then Merton College at Oxford University. He earned his first degree in 1647 and a master's degree in 1649. Later, he became a fellow (a kind of academic position) at Lincoln College in 1650.

Scientific Connections

Robert Wood spent six years studying medicine and was allowed to practice it in 1656. He became part of a group of thinkers in Oxford, often called the 'Oxford club'. This group included important people like John Wilkins from Wadham College. This 'club' was an early version of what would later become the famous Royal Society.

In 1658, Wood worked on a project to help organize the books at the Bodleian Library, which was a big interest for the Oxford club. Much later, in 1681, Robert Wood was officially chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very high honor for scientists.

He also connected with Samuel Hartlib, another important thinker. In 1656, Wood shared an idea with Hartlib about changing money to a decimal coinage system, which means using tens, like our money today. This shows he was interested in practical math and improving things.

Political Involvement and Career

Robert Wood traveled to Ireland and worked for Henry Cromwell, who was the son of Oliver Cromwell, a powerful leader in England at the time. Henry sent Wood to Scotland to find out what was happening there.

When he returned to England, Wood became one of the first fellows at Durham College, which Oliver Cromwell had started. Wood strongly supported the Commonwealth government, which ruled England after the Civil War. He was also a regular at the Rota Club, a discussion group led by James Harrington.

After the Restoration (when the king returned to power), Robert Wood lost his position at Lincoln College. He went back to Ireland, where he earned a medical degree (M.D.) and became a chancellor (a high official) for the diocese of Meath. He bought land in Ireland but later sold it to buy an estate in England.

He then became a math teacher at Christ's Hospital in England. After some years, he resigned and visited Ireland a third time. There, he became a commissioner of the revenue (someone who collects taxes) and later the accountant-general, a top financial job. He held this important position until he passed away in Dublin on April 9, 1685. He was buried in St. Michael's Church. Robert Wood was married to Miss Adams, and they had three daughters: Catherine, Martha, and Frances.

Published Works

Robert Wood wrote two main books about time and calendars:

• A New Al-moon-ac for Ever; or a Rectified Account of Time, published in London in 1680.
• The Times Mended; or a Rectified Account of Time by a New Luni-Solar Year; the true way to Number our Days, published in London in 1681.

In these books, which he dedicated to the Order of the Garter (a very old and important group in England), he suggested ways to fix the calendar. His idea was to make sure the first day of each month was always close to the new moon. He also had a system to keep the length of the year very close to the actual time it takes for Earth to go around the sun.

Wood also translated a large part of a math book called Clavis Mathematica by William Oughtred into English. Wood had actually been one of Oughtred's students. He also had two of his scientific papers published in the Philosophical Transactions in 1681, which was a leading scientific journal at the time.