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| George Salmon: In 1833, aged just 14 years, he entered Trinity College, where he was to spend his entire career. |
As you pass through the main entrance of Trinity College,
the iconic Campanile stands before you, flanked, in pleasing symmetry,
by two statues. On the right, on a granite plinth, is the historian and
essayist William Lecky. On the left, George Salmon
(1819-1904) sits on a limestone platform.
Salmon was a distinguished
mathematician and theologian and provost of Trinity College.
For decades, the two
scholars have gazed down upon multitudes of students crossing Front
Square. The life-size statue of Salmon, carved from Galway marble by the
celebrated Irish sculptor John Hughes, was erected in 1911. Next Wednesday will be the 200th anniversary of Salmon’s birth.
Salmon was born in
Dublin. His father was a linen merchant from Cork and George grew up and
went to school in that city. In 1833, aged just 14 years, he entered
Trinity College, where he was to spend his entire career. He graduated
in the year 1838 after an outstanding undergraduate performance. In
1841, he was elected to a fellowship. In 1858, Salmon was appointed
Donegall lecturer in mathematics.
As a tutor, Salmon
would lecture twice each day, advising, directing and examining his
students. In addition to this heavy load, he produced 41 mathematical
papers and four influential mathematical texts during the following 20
years or so. Salmon did research in algebra, matrices and group theory,
in close collaboration with Arthur Cayley and Joseph Sylvester, the leading English mathematicians of the day.
Salmon is mostly remembered today for his four textbooks on mathematics...
An evening course on recreational maths, Awesums: Marvels and Mysteries of Mathematics, is open for booking online at UCD (www.ucd.ie/lifelonglearning) or by phone (01-716 7123).
Read more...
Source: The Irish Times
