Overview

This insightful and painstakingly researched biography details the intriguing life of Sir William Rowan Hamilton, the nineteenth-century mathematician who changed the course of modern algebra with his discovery of quaternions in 1843. Although Hamilton's work was largely theoretical, his theories and innovations came to have invaluable practical applications with the advent of quantum mechanics in the twentieth century. In addition to analyzing the major contributions Hamilton made to the fields of mathematics and theoretical physics, Thomas L. Hankins investigates all facets of Hamilton's life to draw a complete picture of a man passionate about literature and classical scholarship, a man whose religious beliefs and strong convictions guided him in everything he did.

Full Product Details

Author:   Thomas L. Hankins
Publisher:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780801869730

ISBN 10:   0801869730
Pages:   496
Publication Date:   25 August 2004
Recommended Age:   From 17
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

"Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction I. Birth and Education 1. Early Years 2. Trinity College and Dunsink Observatory 3. Life at the Observatory II. Ray Optics 4. The ""Theory of Systems of Rays"" 5. Creating the ""Theory of Systems of Rays"" 6. Conical Refraction III. Marriage 7. Philosophical Romance 8. Helen Bayly IV. Light and Dynamics 9. Theories of Light 10. Optics at the British Association 11. The Luminiferous Aether 12. The Metaphysical Foundations of Mechanics 13. The General Method in Dynamics 14. The Fate of the Optical-Mechanical Analogy V. Politics and Religion 15. Reform and Religious Turmoil 16. In and Out of the Oxford Movement VI. ""Algebra as the Science of Pure Time"" 17. The Foundations of Algebra and the Coleridgean View of Science 18. ""Algebra as the Science of Pure time"" 19. The Kantian Content of the ""Essay on Algebra as the Science of Pure Time"" 20. The Equation of the Fifth Degree VII. Quarternions 21. From Algebraic Couples to Quaternions 22. The Creation of Quarternions 23. The Fate of Quarternions 24. The Hodograph and the Icosian Calculus VIII. Last Years 25. Catherine Disney Barlow 26. The End of a Career 27. Hamilton and Nineteenth-Century Science Appendix: The Equations of Conjugation and Logarithms of Number Couples Abbreviations Used in the Notes Notes Bibliographical Essay Index"

Reviews

By a combination of exacting scholarship and distinguished writing, Hankins has produced a book which is both an important record and a marvelous read. -- I. Grattan-Guinness Annals of Science An interesting, well-written biography of the great nineteenth-century mathematician. -- Burnett Meyer Mathematical Reviews Hankins has given [Hamilton] the detailed biography that he merits. The author integrates his discussions of Hamilton's poetic, metaphysical and mathematical facets to provide a balanced picture of a complex individual against the background of the religious, philosophical, political, and social movements of the time. Library Journal Thomas Hankins has given us much more than just a good biography of a leading scientific personality of the 19th century, although that it certainly is... Thorough in the scientific aspects of his book, the author also deals substantially with the philosophical, religious, and political events that bore so heavily on Hamilton's work and personal life. -- Brian D. Murphy Oak Ridge National Laboratory Review [A] most welcome general biography of Hamilton... an interesting account of a fascinating life. -- P. A. Wayman Irish Astronomical Journal Hankins' biography is analytic... comprehensive, and ambitiously aimed at integrating all the facets of Hamilton's richly productive but troubled life... In the difficult genre of scientific biography, where good books are rare, Hankins's Hamilton is excellent. -- Michael J. Crowe Science Hankins's treatment of Hamilton's works is always clear and concise. His biography displays a mastery of the technical details of Hamilton's mathematics as well as an understanding of the origins of Hamilton's ideas... This biography is extraordinarily well written and a pleasure to read. -- Henry John Steffens American Historical Review

Hankins has given [Hamilton] the detailed biography that he merits. The author integrates his discussions of Hamilton's poetic, metaphysical, and mathematical facets to provide a balanced picture of a complex individual against the background of the religious, philosophical, political, and social movements of the time. - Library Journal Hankins' biography is analytic, comprehensive, and ambitiously aimed at integrating all the facets of Hamilton's richly productive but troubled life... in the difficult genre of scientific biography, where good books are rare, Hankins's Hamilton is excellent. - Michael J. Crowe, Science Hankins's treatment of Hamilton's works is always clear and concise. His biography displays a mastery of the technical details of Hamilton's mathematics as well as an understanding of the origins of Hamilton's ideas... This biography is extraordinarily well written and a pleasure to read. - Henry John Steffens, American Historical Review By a combination of exacting scholarship and distinguished writing, Hankins has produced a book which is both an important record and a marvelous read. - I. Grattan-Guinness, Annals of Science

Author Information

Thomas L. Hankins is a professor emeritus of the history of science at the University of Washington.

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