Whittaker and Watson
Encyclopedia
Whittaker and Watson is the informal name of a book formally titled A Course of Modern Analysis, written by E. T. Whittaker
and G. N. Watson
, first published by Cambridge University Press
in 1902. (The first edition was Whittaker's alone; it was in later editions with Watson that this book is best known.)
The book is notable for being the standard reference and textbook for a generation of Cambridge mathematician
s including Littlewood
and G. H. Hardy
. Its reach was much further; André Weil
in his obituary of the French mathematician Jean Delsarte
noted that Delsarte always had a copy on his desk.
Today, the book retains much of its original appeal. Some idiosyncratic but interesting problems from the salad days of the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos
are to be found in the exercises. It is terse, yet readable by the motivated student. It conforms to high standards of mathematical rigour, while compressing much actual formulaic information also.
E. T. Whittaker
Edmund Taylor Whittaker FRS FRSE was an English mathematician who contributed widely to applied mathematics, mathematical physics and the theory of special functions. He had a particular interest in numerical analysis, but also worked on celestial mechanics and the history of physics...
and G. N. Watson
G. N. Watson
Neville Watson was an English mathematician, a noted master in the application of complex analysis to the theory of special functions. His collaboration on the 1915 second edition of E. T. Whittaker's A Course of Modern Analysis produced the classic “Whittaker & Watson” text...
, first published by Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
in 1902. (The first edition was Whittaker's alone; it was in later editions with Watson that this book is best known.)
The book is notable for being the standard reference and textbook for a generation of Cambridge 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....
s including Littlewood
John Edensor Littlewood
John Edensor Littlewood was a British mathematician, best known for the results achieved in collaboration with G. H. Hardy.-Life:...
and G. H. Hardy
G. H. Hardy
Godfrey Harold “G. H.” Hardy FRS was a prominent English mathematician, known for his achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis....
. Its reach was much further; André Weil
André Weil
André Weil was an influential mathematician of the 20th century, renowned for the breadth and quality of his research output, its influence on future work, and the elegance of his exposition. He is especially known for his foundational work in number theory and algebraic geometry...
in his obituary of the French mathematician Jean Delsarte
Jean Delsarte
Jean Frédéric Auguste Delsarte was a French mathematician known for his work in mathematical analysis, in particular, for introducing mean-periodic functions and generalised shift operators. He was one of the founders of the Bourbaki group.-External links:...
noted that Delsarte always had a copy on his desk.
Today, the book retains much of its original appeal. Some idiosyncratic but interesting problems from the salad days of the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos
Cambridge Mathematical Tripos
The Mathematical Tripos is the taught mathematics course at the University of Cambridge. It is the oldest Tripos that is examined in Cambridge.-Origin:...
are to be found in the exercises. It is terse, yet readable by the motivated student. It conforms to high standards of mathematical rigour, while compressing much actual formulaic information also.
External links
- A Course of Modern Analysis at Cambridge University Press (4 e. 1927, reissued 1996)
- First edition (1902) at Google Books