Thomas Archer Hirst facts for kids
Thomas Archer Hirst (born April 22, 1830 – died February 16, 1892) was an English mathematician from the 1800s. He was an expert in geometry, which is a branch of mathematics dealing with shapes, sizes, and positions of figures. For his important work, he received the Royal Medal from the Royal Society in 1883.
Life of Thomas Hirst
Thomas Hirst was born in Heckmondwike, a town in Yorkshire, England. His parents came from families who worked in the wool trade. He was the youngest of four sons.
His family later moved to Wakefield so the boys could go to a better school. Thomas attended Wakefield Proprietary School for four years, starting in 1841. He remembered that mathematics was his favorite subject there.
When he was fifteen, Thomas left school to become an apprentice engineer in Halifax. He helped survey land for new railway lines. There, he met John Tyndall, who was ten years older and worked at the same company.
Later, Tyndall encouraged Hirst to go to Germany for more education. Thomas first studied chemistry. He eventually earned a special degree called a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Marburg in 1852.
In 1853, he attended lectures on geometry by a famous mathematician named Jakob Steiner in Berlin. Thomas married Anna Martin in 1854. He spent much of the 1850s traveling in Europe. He met many other mathematicians and used money he had inherited to support himself.
From 1860 to 1864, Hirst taught at University College School. He left this job because he wanted more time for his own math research. In 1865, he became a Professor of Physics at University College London. Two years later, in 1867, he took over as the head of the Mathematics department there.
In 1873, he was chosen to be the first Director of Studies at the new Royal Naval College in Greenwich. He retired from this position in 1882.
Thomas Hirst also spent a lot of his time helping to run British science organizations. He was an active member of important groups like the Royal Society and the London Mathematical Society. He also helped start a group to improve how math was taught in schools. He worked to support the education of women too. Thomas Hirst died in London in 1892 and was buried in Highgate Cemetery.
Mathematics
Hirst was a projective geometer. This means he focused on how shapes and figures look when projected onto a surface, like shadows. He followed the style of mathematicians like Poncelet and Steiner.
He was friends with other mathematicians like Cayley and Sylvester. However, Hirst preferred his own approach to geometry. His special area of study was something called Cremona transformations.
Images for kids
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Anna Martin-Hirst (1831–1857), wife of Thomas Archer Hirst, buried at Montmartre Cemetery.
