William Jones (mathematician)
William Jones | |
---|---|
Born | 1675 |
Died | 3 July 1749 (aged 73–74) London, England |
Part of a series of articles on the |
mathematical constant π |
---|
3.1415926535897932384626433... |
Uses |
Properties |
Value |
People |
History |
In culture |
Related topics |
William Jones,
Early life
William Jones was born the son of Siôn Siôr (John George Jones) and Elizabeth Rowland in the parish of
Early mathematical career
Jones initially served at sea, teaching mathematics on board Navy ships between 1695 and 1702, where he became very interested in navigation and published A New Compendium of the Whole Art of Navigation in 1702,[3] dedicated to a benefactor John Harris.[5] In this work he applied mathematics to navigation, studying methods of calculating position at sea. After his voyages were over he became a mathematics teacher in London, both in coffee houses and as a private tutor to George Parker,[6] the son of the future Earl of Macclesfield, and also the future Baron Hardwicke. He also held a number of undemanding posts in government offices with the help of his former pupils.[citation needed]
Later career
Jones published Synopsis Palmariorum Matheseos in 1706, a work which was intended for beginners and which included theorems on
He was noticed and befriended by two of Britain's foremost mathematicians –
Personal life
He married twice, firstly the widow of his counting-house employer, whose property he inherited on her death, and secondly, in 1731, Mary, the 22-year-old daughter of cabinet-maker George Nix, with whom he had two surviving children. His son, also named
References
- ISBN 978-1786835949.
- ^ "Library and Archive catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 1 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Jones biography". University of St. Andrews. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
- ^ Cyfri'n Cewri by Gareth Ffowc Roberts; University of Wales Press (2020); p. 14.
- ^ William Jones (1702). A New Compendium of the Whole Art of Navigation. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ "Macclesfield Collection". Cambridge Digital Library. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Jones, William (1706). Synopsis Palmariorum Matheseos : or, a New Introduction to the Mathematics. pp. 243, 263.
- ^ Rothman, Patricia (7 July 2009). "William Jones and his Circle: The Man who invented Pi". History Today. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ Bogart, Steven. "What is pi, and how did it originate?". Scientific American. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ Archibald, R. C. (1921). "Historical Notes on the Relation ". The American Mathematical Monthly. 28 (3): 121. JSTOR 2972388.
It was probably suggested to Jones by Oughtred who employed the symbol in a different sense.
- ^ Garland Hampton Cannon (1990). The life and mind Oriental Jones. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ "How a farm boy from Wales gave the world pi". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ^ "Last Will and Testament of William Jones (MS Add.9597/1/1)". Cambridge Digital Library. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Roberts, Gareth Ffowc (14 March 2015). "Pi Day 2015: meet the man who invented π". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
External links
- William Jones and other important Welsh mathematicians
- William Jones and his Circle: The Man who invented Pi
- Pi Day 2015: meet the man who invented π