Robert Woodhouse facts for kids

Robert Woodhouse FRS (born April 28, 1773 – died December 23, 1827) was a brilliant British mathematician and astronomer. He was known for his important work at Cambridge University, where he helped change how math was taught. He also played a key role in setting up the Cambridge Observatory.

Robert Woodhouse's Life

Early Years and School

Robert Woodhouse was born on April 28, 1773, in Norwich, England. His father, also named Robert, was a cloth merchant. His mother, Judith Alderson, was the daughter of a Unitarian minister. Robert was baptized in Norwich on May 19, 1773.

He had a younger brother, John Thomas Woodhouse, born in 1780. Both brothers went to the Paston School in North Walsham, which was about 24 kilometers north of Norwich.

University Days

In May 1790, Robert Woodhouse started studying at Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University. This college was a common choice for students from Paston School.

In 1795, he finished his studies as the Senior Wrangler. This means he was ranked first among all the math students at the university. He also won the very first Smith's Prize, a special award for top math students. He earned his Master's degree from Cambridge in 1798.

Life and Work at Cambridge

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge in 1688, drawn by David Loggan.

Robert Woodhouse was a fellow (a senior member of the college) from 1798 until 1823. He then left this role so he could marry Harriet Wilkin, who was the daughter of an architect from Norwich. They got married on February 20, 1823, and had a son, also named Robert. Sadly, Harriet died in Cambridge in 1826.

In 1802, Robert Woodhouse was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very respected group of scientists. His first major book, Principles of Analytical Calculation, came out in 1803. In this book, he talked about new ways to write math problems. He also suggested using different math methods that were popular in other countries.

In 1809, Woodhouse published a textbook about trigonometry, which is a branch of math dealing with triangles and angles. The next year, he wrote a historical book about calculus, another advanced math topic. He then started writing about astronomy. The first part of his astronomy book, about how to observe and describe the sky, was published in 1812. The second part, which looked at the physics of space, came out in 1818.

In 1820, Woodhouse became the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. This is a very famous position at Cambridge, once held by Isaac Newton! However, the pay was not very high, so he left this job in 1822. He then took a better-paying role as the Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy. In this new job, he was in charge of setting up and checking the telescopes and clocks at the Cambridge Observatory.

Woodhouse was a key figure in changing how math was taught at Cambridge. He was part of a group called the Analytical Society. This group, which included famous mathematicians like George Peacock, Charles Babbage, and John Herschel, wanted to use more modern math methods. Robert Woodhouse became the first director of the new observatory when it was built. He held this job until he passed away in 1827.

He was buried in the chapel at Caius College in Cambridge.