Morgan Crofton
Encyclopedia
Morgan Crofton was a mathematician who contributed to the field of geometric probability theory
. He also worked with James Joseph Sylvester
and contributed an article on probability to the 9th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica
. Crofton's formula is named in his honour.
As a person he was the child of Reverend William Crofton, Rector of Skreene, Co Sligo but converted to the Roman Catholic Church
in the 1850s in part due to an interest in Newman. This led to his resignation at Queen's College, Galway
and transference to various Catholic colleges.
He was Professor of Mathematics at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and Professor of Natural Philosophy at Queen's University of Ireland
. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1868.
He married twice: firstly on 31 August 1857 Julia Agnes Cecilia, daughter of J B Kernan (died 1902) and secondly Katherine, daughter of Holland Taylor of Manchester. Later his son became a priest.
Integral geometry
In mathematics, integral geometry is the theory of measures on a geometrical space invariant under the symmetry group of that space. In more recent times, the meaning has been broadened to include a view of invariant transformations from the space of functions on one geometrical space to the...
. He also worked with James Joseph Sylvester
James Joseph Sylvester
James Joseph Sylvester was an English mathematician. He made fundamental contributions to matrix theory, invariant theory, number theory, partition theory and combinatorics...
and contributed an article on probability to the 9th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
. Crofton's formula is named in his honour.
As a person he was the child of Reverend William Crofton, Rector of Skreene, Co Sligo but converted to the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in the 1850s in part due to an interest in Newman. This led to his resignation at Queen's College, Galway
National University of Ireland, Galway
The National University of Ireland, Galway is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland...
and transference to various Catholic colleges.
He was Professor of Mathematics at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and Professor of Natural Philosophy 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...
. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1868.
He married twice: firstly on 31 August 1857 Julia Agnes Cecilia, daughter of J B Kernan (died 1902) and secondly Katherine, daughter of Holland Taylor of Manchester. Later his son became a priest.
External links
- MacTutor biography of Crofton
- "Probability", from Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
, 9th Edition, Volume XIX (1885).