‘A Dynamical Form of Mechanical Effect’: Thomson's Thermodynamics
in Kelvin: Life, Labours and Legacy
April 2008; published online May 2008.
Chapter. Subjects: history of mathematics. 7791 words.
As he settled into his position as Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow, Thomson would spend much of his time over the subsequent years pondering over the problem of heat and the difficulty of...
The ACE and the shaping of British computing
in Alan Turing's Automatic Computing Engine
April 2005; published online January 2008.
Chapter. Subjects: history of mathematics. 8370 words.
This chapter focuses on the legacy of the ACE to British computing. Design of the ACE began in earnest in 1953, when the pilot machine was complete, although physical construction did not start until...
The ACE Simulator and the Cybernetic Model
in Alan Turing's Automatic Computing Engine
April 2005; published online January 2008.
Chapter. Subjects: history of mathematics. 1570 words.
This chapter discusses the ACE simulator and the Cybernetic Model. The ACE simulator was a demonstration machine built as an aid to the visualization of binary operations. Designed by D. W. Davies...
The ACE Test Assembly, the Pilot ACE, the Big ACE, and the Bendix G15
in Alan Turing's Automatic Computing Engine
April 2005; published online January 2008.
Chapter. Subjects: history of mathematics. 4604 words.
This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the ENIAC and the EDVAC projects in the US. The author then describes his work at the National Physical Laboratory. Topics covered include the ACE Test...
Alan Turing's Automatic Computing Engine
April 2005; published online January 2008.
Book. Subjects: history of mathematics. 576 pages.
The mathematical genius Alan Turing (1912-1954) was one of the greatest scientists and thinkers of the 20th century. Now well known for his crucial wartime role in breaking the ENIGMA code, he was...
Amsterdam, Breda, 1643–1652
in John Pell (1611-1685) and His Correspondence with Sir Charles Cavendish
November 2004; published online September 2007.
Chapter. Subjects: history of mathematics. 20291 words.
This chapter chronicles the life of John Pell in Amsterdam and Breda from 1643 to 1652. John Pell had little idea of what awaited him in Amsterdam; apparently he thought his trip was to be a brief...
Applications of the Pilot ACE and the DEUCE
in Alan Turing's Automatic Computing Engine
April 2005; published online January 2008.
Chapter. Subjects: history of mathematics. 5542 words.
This chapter discusses applications of the Pilot ACE. These applications include linear equations, photogrammetry, traffic simulation, matrix programmes, demonstration programmes, and...
Ariadne's thread: William Oughtred's Clavis
in A Discourse Concerning Algebra
January 2003; published online September 2007.
Chapter. Subjects: history of mathematics. 10936 words.
William Oughtred (1573-1660) was renowned throughout his life as a teacher of mathematics and especially, in his later years, for his Clavis mathematicae, his textbook on arithmetic and algebra. The...
Astronomy in the capital (1689–1693): scholars, officials and ruler
in The Emperor's New Mathematics
December 2011; published online January 2012.
Chapter. Subjects: history of mathematics. 10280 words.
This chapter focuses on how Kangxi staged himself as a teacher of the mathematical sciences vis-à-vis his high officials, while continuing to dismiss Chinese scholars' knowledge of these disciplines....
Calculation for the emperor: the writings of a discreet mathematician
in The Emperor's New Mathematics
December 2011; published online January 2012.
Chapter. Subjects: history of mathematics. 12992 words.
This chapter discusses a series of lecture notes, most of which can be ascribed to Antoine Thomas, on calculation, algebra, and other topics. Thomas, who had published a mathematical textbook in...