George Johnston Allman
Encyclopedia
George Johnston Allman was an Irish
professor
, mathematician
, classical
scholar, and historian
of ancient Greek mathematics
.
He was born in Dublin the son of William Allman
MD, also a botanist.
He held the position of Professor of Mathematics at Queen's University of Ireland
for forty years, from 1853 until reaching reaching retirement age in 1893. His fame rests mainly upon his authorship of Greek Geometry
from Thales
to Euclid
, first published in Dublin in 1889, and republished several times subsequently.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1884. His candidacy citation read: "Member of the Senate of the Queen's University of Ireland, – Appointed by Charter one of the original Senators of the Royal University of Ireland – Member of Standing Committee of the said University. Author of the following papers, amongst others; Method of deriving the Polar Equations of Dynamics & Hydrodynamics from direct physical considerations – Dublin University Phil Transactions 1848. On certain Curves traced on the Surface of an Ellipsoid, Camb & Dub Math Journal. 1848. On the Attraction of Ellipsoids, with a new demonstration of Clairaut's Theorem, being an account of the late Prof MacCullagh's lectures, Trans RI Academy 1855. On some properties of Paraboloids. Quarterly Journal Maths 1874. Greek Geometry from Thales to Euclid, Part 1 "Hermathena" 1877. Do Part 2 Hermathena, 1881 "
He died at Finglass, Dublin. He had married in 1853 Louisa, the daughter of John Smith Taylor of Dublin.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, classical
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
scholar, and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of ancient Greek mathematics
Greek mathematics
Greek mathematics, as that term is used in this article, is the mathematics written in Greek, developed from the 7th century BC to the 4th century AD around the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Greek mathematicians lived in cities spread over the entire Eastern Mediterranean, from Italy to...
.
He was born in Dublin the son of William Allman
William Allman
William Allman, M.D. , professor of botany at Dublin, was born at Kingston, Jamaica, on 7 Feb. 1776, but his parents removed to Ireland before he was four years of age, his mother being a native of Waterford. He was educated in that town, and Trinity College, Dublin, where he obtained a...
MD, also a botanist.
He held the position of Professor of Mathematics at Queen's University of Ireland
Queen's University of Ireland
The Queen's University of Ireland was established formally by Royal Charter on 3 September 1850, as the degree-awarding university of the Queen's Colleges of Belfast, Cork, and Galway that were established in 1845 "to afford a university education to members of all religious denominations" in...
for forty years, from 1853 until reaching reaching retirement age in 1893. His fame rests mainly upon his authorship of Greek Geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
from Thales
Thales
Thales of Miletus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus in Asia Minor, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition...
to Euclid
Euclid
Euclid , fl. 300 BC, also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I...
, first published in Dublin in 1889, and republished several times subsequently.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1884. His candidacy citation read: "Member of the Senate of the Queen's University of Ireland, – Appointed by Charter one of the original Senators of the Royal University of Ireland – Member of Standing Committee of the said University. Author of the following papers, amongst others; Method of deriving the Polar Equations of Dynamics & Hydrodynamics from direct physical considerations – Dublin University Phil Transactions 1848. On certain Curves traced on the Surface of an Ellipsoid, Camb & Dub Math Journal. 1848. On the Attraction of Ellipsoids, with a new demonstration of Clairaut's Theorem, being an account of the late Prof MacCullagh's lectures, Trans RI Academy 1855. On some properties of Paraboloids. Quarterly Journal Maths 1874. Greek Geometry from Thales to Euclid, Part 1 "Hermathena" 1877. Do Part 2 Hermathena, 1881 "
He died at Finglass, Dublin. He had married in 1853 Louisa, the daughter of John Smith Taylor of Dublin.