Sheila Scott Macintyre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sheila Scott Macintyre
FRSE
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| Born |
Sheila Scott
23 April 1910 |
| Died | 21 March 1960 (aged 49) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Alma mater | Edinburgh Ladies' College University of Edinburgh Girton College, Cambridge |
| Known for | work on the Whittaker function |
| Spouse(s) |
Archibald James Macintyre
(m. 1940) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Aberdeen University of Cincinnati |
| Thesis | Some Problems in Interpolatory Function Theory (1947) |
| Doctoral advisor | Edward Maitland Wright |
Professor Sheila Scott Macintyre (born April 23, 1910 – died March 21, 1960) was a brilliant Scottish mathematician. She is famous for her important work on something called the Whittaker constant. Sheila Macintyre also helped write a special dictionary that translated math words from German to English.
Contents
Growing Up and Learning
Sheila Scott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on April 23, 1910. Her father, James Alexander Scott, was a teacher. The family lived in a place called 69 Dudley Avenue. This was near Trinity Academy, Edinburgh, where her father worked.
Sheila went to Trinity Academy, Edinburgh for a while. Later, from 1926 to 1928, she attended Edinburgh Ladies' College. This school is now known as The Mary Erskine School. She was a top student there, especially in mathematics.
University Studies
After high school, Sheila studied at the University of Edinburgh. In 1932, she earned her Master of Arts (MA) degree. She studied mathematics and natural philosophy, which is an old term for science.
She then continued her studies at Girton College, Cambridge. There, she took the Mathematical Tripos, which is a very challenging math exam. In her last year at Cambridge, she worked on a research project. Her supervisor was a famous mathematician named Mary Cartwright. This project led to Sheila's first published paper.
Becoming a Mathematician
From 1934 to 1940, Sheila Scott taught mathematics in different schools. During this time, another mathematician, Edmund Whittaker, introduced her to Archibald James Macintyre. Archibald was also a mathematician.
In 1940, Sheila and Archibald got married. Soon after, Sheila became an assistant lecturer at the University of Aberdeen. Her husband was already a lecturer there. This is when she started working on her PhD.
Earning Her PhD
Even while she was pregnant with her second child, Sheila kept doing her research. She earned her PhD from the University of Aberdeen in 1947. Her special research paper was called Some Problems in Interpolatory Function Theory. Her supervisor for this work was Edward Maitland Wright.
Between 1947 and 1958, Sheila published ten more important papers. During this time, she and Archibald had three children.
A Special Dictionary
In 1956, Sheila Macintyre worked with Edith Witte to publish a book. It was called German-English Mathematical Vocabulary. This book helped people translate math terms between German and English.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1958, Sheila and her family moved to Cincinnati, United States. Sheila became a visiting professor at the University of Cincinnati. Also in 1958, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This is a very special honor for scientists in Scotland.
Sheila Scott Macintyre sadly passed away in 1960 in Cincinnati. She died from breast cancer.
Mary Cartwright, her former supervisor, wrote about Sheila after her death. She said that Sheila was a very clear lecturer and an excellent teacher. She cared about her students and was a kind and helpful colleague.
See also
In Spanish: Sheila Scott Macintyre para niños
