British mathematics 1837–1901

Abstract

Although the Victorian era was characterized by the dominance of Great Britain both militarily and economically, the achievements of the British in mathematics were considerably less spectacular. Nevertheless, significant contributions were made by British mathematicians, several of whose names are still well known today. This paper highlights the principal mathematical developments in Britain during this time, closing with some observations on the weaknesses and limitations of Victorian British mathematics.

Notes

¹See, for example, Guicciardini 1989, 139–142.

²See Nakane and Fraser 2002.

³See Panteki 1992.

⁴See Wilson 2002, Chapters 2, 4–7.

⁵See Seneta 1998.

⁶See Guicciardini 1989, 82–91.

⁷See Pycior 1997.

⁸See Crowe 1985.

⁹See Parshall 1989.

¹⁰See Wussing 1969.

¹¹See Heath's preface to De Morgan 1966, vii–xxxi.

¹²See Grattan-Guinness 2000.

¹³See Richards 1988, 69–75.

¹⁴See Richards 1988, 92–93.

¹⁵See Barrow-Green and Gray 2006.

¹⁶See Wise 2005.

¹⁷See Grattan-Guinness 1995.

¹⁸See Cross 1985.

¹⁹This concept, known to Weierstrass as early as 1841, was also published by Philipp Seidel in 1848.

²⁰See Crowe 1985, 176.

²¹See Warwick 2003, 363–395.

²²See Schabas 1990.

²³See Stigler 1978.

²⁴See Bulmer 2003.

²⁵See Magnello 1998.

²⁶See Magnello 2005.

²⁷See Norberg 2003.

²⁸See Swade 2000.

²⁹See Bromley 1982.

³⁰See Despeaux 2002.

³¹See Crilly 2004.

³²See Gispert 2002.

³³See Gispert and Tobies 1996.

³⁴See Rice, Wilson and Gardner 1995.

³⁵See Rankin 1983.

³⁶See Price 1994.

³⁷See Warwick 2003, 283–285.

³⁸See Fauvel 2000.

³⁹See Hannabuss 2000.