Why is Mary Somerville important? She established a name for herself, and was respected by those interested in reforming the British scientific society. The most important piece of original research Somerville conducted concerned sunlight and its magnetizing effects.
Who is Mary Somerville?
Jan 06, 2020 · Why is Mary Somerville important? She established a name for herself, and was respected by those interested in reforming the British scientific society. The most important piece of original research Somerville conducted concerned sunlight and its magnetizing effects.
What was Mary Somerville's greatest achievement?
Nov 17, 2008 · Mary Somerville was a Scottish mathematician and astronomer. She contributed many things to the mathematic world, but her invention of the commonly used variables for algebraic math is the most...
What did Elizabeth Somerville do for a living?
Mary Somerville, née Mary Fairfax, (born December 26, 1780, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland—died November 29, 1872, Naples, Italy), British science writer whose influential works synthesized many different scientific disciplines. As a child, Fairfax had a minimal education. She was taught to read (but not write) by her mother.
When did Mary Somerville start writing?
May 29, 2018 · Known as the "Queen of nineteenth century science," Mary Somerville (1780-1872) explained the leading scientific ideas of her day in terms that much of the educated public could understand. Though she conducted some original research, Somerville's work as a translator and interpreter influenced how developments in the physical sciences were discussed and delineated.
Did Mary Somerville invent anything?
She published her first scientific paper, “On the Magnetizing Power of the More Refrangible Solar Rays,” in 1826. An overview of Mary Somerville and her various books.
What planet did Mary Somerville discover?
planet NeptuneMary Somerville is a female astronomer and mathematician who played a vital role in the discovery of the planet Neptune, at a time when women's participation in science was discouraged. As a child, she had minimal education.Aug 18, 2016
How old was Mary Somerville when she died?
91 years (1780–1872)Mary Somerville / Age at death
Where did Mary Somerville died?
Naples, ItalyMary Somerville / Place of death
Who did Mary Somerville marry?
William Somervillem. 1812–1860Samuel Greigm. 1804–1807Mary Somerville/SpouseIn 1804 she met her first husband, her distant cousin Lieutenant Samuel Greig, son of Admiral Samuel Greig, when he came to pay a visit. He was commissioner of the Russian navy and Russian consul for Britain. They married and had two children, one of whom, Woronzow Greig, would become a barrister and scientist.
Did Mary Somerville have any siblings?
A sister was born when Mary was seven, and a second brother when she was ten. The two brothers were given a good education but, in keeping with the ideas of the time, little need was seen to educate girls so Mary's parents saw no need to provide an education for their daughter.
Where was Mary Somerville from?
Jedburgh, United KingdomMary Somerville / Place of birthJedburgh is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the historic county of Roxburghshire, the name of which was randomly chosen for Operation Jedburgh in support of the D-Day invasion. Wikipedia
Who were Mary somervilles parents?
William George FairfaxMargaret ChartersMary Somerville/Parents
Who was Mary Somerville?
Science writing. Mathematics. Mary Somerville (née Fairfax, formerly Greig; 26 December 1780 – 29 November 1872) was a Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath. She studied mathematics and astronomy, and in 1835 she was elected together with Caroline Herschel as the first female Honorary Members of the Royal Astronomical Society .
Where did Mary Somerville spend most of her time?
From 1833 onwards Somerville and her husband spent most of their time in Italy. Somerville maintained correspondence with a large number of leading scientists and remained engaged in current debates on facts and theories.
Where was William Fairfax born?
Vice-Admiral William Fairfax; painted in 1798. She was born at the manse of Jedburgh, in the Borders , which was the house of her maternal aunt, wife of Rev. Dr. Thomas Somerville (1741–1830) (author of My Own Life and Times ). Her childhood home was at Burntisland, Fife, where her mother was from.
Who invented the kaleidoscope?
Sir David Brewster, inventor of the kaleidoscope, wrote in 1829 that Mary Somerville was "certainly the most extraordinary woman in Europe - a mathematician of the very first rank with all the gentleness of a woman".
Where is the Somerville Collection?
Over 10,000 pieces are in the Somerville Collection of the Bodleian Library and Somerville College, Oxford. The collection includes papers relating to her writing and published work, and correspondence with family members, numerous scientists and writers, and other figures in public life.
Who was the Russian ambassador in London who appointed Samuel Greig as his Consul General?
From her first marriage she had a son, Woronzow Greig (1805-1865), named after Count Semyon Vorontsov, the Russian ambassador in London who had appointed Samuel Greig as his Consul General. Woronzow married Agnes Graham but all their children died at birth or in infancy.
When was Neptune discovered?
Predictions were fulfilled in 1846 by the discovery of Neptune revolving at the distance of 3,000,000,000 miles from the sun. "The mass of Neptune, the size and position of his orbit in space, and his periodic time, were determined from his disturbing action on Uranus before the planet itself had been seen.".
Who was Mary Somerville?
Lived 1780 – 1872. Mary Somerville was a self-taught mathematician and polymath. Today she might be described as a popularizer of science.
What is Somerville College named after?
In 1879, the University of Oxford opened its first women’s colleges: Somerville Hall, named for Mary, and Lady Margaret Hall. Somerville Hall is now named Somerville College.
What was Mary's first encounter with algebra?
Mathematics. A friend of Mary’s mother gave Mary a fashion magazine. On its final page Mary saw a puzzle featuring numbers mixed with letters – her first encounter with algebra. Strangely intrigued, she tried to find out more, but nobody she knew could help. At that time, Mary was teaching herself Greek.
How many pages did Mary's Physical Geography have?
Mary’s published her next major work Physical Geography in 1848 when she was 67 years old. Again it was over 500 pages long, highly regarded, and popular with both scientists and the public. The great German geographer and explorer Alexander von Humboldt read it twice, then wrote to Mary:
Where was Mary Fairfax born?
Beginnings. Mary Fairfax was born on December 26, 1780 in the small town of Jedburgh, Scotland, UK . Somerville was her married surname. Mary’s father, William George Fairfax, had joined the British Navy at age 10. With distinguished service in battle, he eventually rose to the rank of vice-admiral.
How many children did Mary and William have?
The couple had two sons, one of whom died in childhood. The eldest, Woronzow Greig, became a lawyer. In 1812, age 31, Mary married her cousin Dr. William Somerville, a medical man. They had four children, two of whom survived to adulthood: Martha and Mary. Mary loved to socialize.
Where did Mary's husband work?
In 1819, Mary’s husband began working at London’s Chelsea Hospital and the couple moved to London with their children. Mary continued her mathematics, and in the style Newton, Euler, Lagrange, and Laplace, she applied her mathematics to physical science.
Who were the Somervilles friends with?
In 1816 the Somervilles moved to London, where they became friends with such eminent scientists as astronomers Sir William Herschel and Caroline Herschel, metallurgist William Hyde Wollaston, physicist Thomas Young, and mathematician Charles Babbage, who showed the Somervilles the mechanical calculators he was making.
Who wrote the Encyclopaedia Britannica?
WRITTEN BY. Erik Gregersen. Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the University of Chicago Press on the... See Article History. Mary Somerville, née Mary Fairfax, (born December 26, 1780, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, ...
When was the Mechanism of the Heavens published?
Mechanism of the Heavens ’s introduction, in which Somerville summarized the current state of astronomical knowledge for the general reader, was published separately in 1832 as Preliminary Dissertation to the Mechanism of the Heavens. Mechanism of the Heavens was acclaimed by British mathematicians and astronomers.
Who was the first person to discover Neptune?
This hint inspired British astronomer John Couch Adams to begin the calculations that ultimately led to the discovery of Neptune. In 1835, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, Somerville received a pension of £200 per year (later £300) from the Civil List.
What was Mary Somerville known for?
Scottish mathematician and scientific writer who published papers in physics and became well known for her 1831 translation of Pierre Laplace's Mécanique Céleste. One of the few female mathematicians of her era, Somerville became interested in mathematics while studying Euclid with the help of her younger brother's tutor. A strong advocate of women's education, she published her own treatise Finite Differences and several other books on popular science. Oxford honored her by naming one of its colleges after her.
How did Mary Somerville change her life?
Her life changed profoundly at the age of 15, when she encountered algebraic symbols while reading a fashion magazine. Somerville became intrigued and wanted to learn more. She studied algebra on her own, and craved more knowledge. Though she received some private instruction, Somerville's parents tried to discourage these pursuits. Her father feared that she might drive herself insane. At the time, it was believed that a woman's constitution could not handle much intellectual effort without causing damage to her physical and mental health.
Who was Martha Somerville married to?
In 1812, she married William Somerville, an army doctor. The couple eventually had four children, three daughters and one son. Only Martha and Mary survived into adulthood. Unlike Grieg, William Somerville was completely supportive of his wife's intellectual interests. He was proud of her achievements and encouraged her to take on Greek, geology, botany, and mineralogy.
Early Life
Marriage and Family Life
Scientific Endeavors
- Four years after marrying, Mary Somerville and her family moved to London. Their social circle included the leading scientific and literary lights of the day, including Ada Bryon and her mother Maria Edgeworth, George Airy, John and William Herschel, George Peacock, and Charles Babbage. Mary and William had three daughters (Margaret, 1813–1823; Martha, born 1815, and Mary Char…
Death
- By 1871, Mary Somerville had outlived her husbands, a daughter, and all of her sons: she wrote, "Few of my early friends now remain—I am nearly left alone." Mary Somerville died in Naples on November 29, 1872, just before turning 92. She had been working on another mathematical article at the time and regularly read about higher algebra and solved problems each day. Her daughter …
Publications
- 1831 (first book): "The Mechanism of the Heavens"—translating and explaining Pierre Laplace's celestial mechanics.
- 1834: "On the Connection of the Physical Sciences"—this book continued in new editions through 1877.
- 1848: "Physical Geography"—the first book in England on Earth's physical surface, widely use…
- 1831 (first book): "The Mechanism of the Heavens"—translating and explaining Pierre Laplace's celestial mechanics.
- 1834: "On the Connection of the Physical Sciences"—this book continued in new editions through 1877.
- 1848: "Physical Geography"—the first book in England on Earth's physical surface, widely used as a textbook at schools and universities for 50 years.
- 1869: "On Molecular and Microscopic Science"—about physics and chemistry.
Major Awards and Honors
- One of the first two women admitted to the Royal Astronomical Society (the other was Caroline Herschel).
- Somerville College, Oxford University, is named for her.
- Dubbed "Queen of Nineteenth-Century Science" by a newspaper on her death.
- Organizational Affiliations: Somerville College, Oxford University, Royal Astronomical Society…
- One of the first two women admitted to the Royal Astronomical Society (the other was Caroline Herschel).
- Somerville College, Oxford University, is named for her.
- Dubbed "Queen of Nineteenth-Century Science" by a newspaper on her death.
- Organizational Affiliations: Somerville College, Oxford University, Royal Astronomical Society, Royal Geographical Society, American Philosophical Society.
Sources
- Neeley, Kathryn and Mary Somerville. Mary Somerville: Science, Illumination and the Female Mind.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
- Somerville, Martha. "Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age of Mary Somerville, with Selections from her Correspondence." Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1874.
- O'Connor, J. J. and E. F. Robertson. "Mary Fairfax Greig Somerville." School of Mathematics a…
- Neeley, Kathryn and Mary Somerville. Mary Somerville: Science, Illumination and the Female Mind.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
- Somerville, Martha. "Personal Recollections, from Early Life to Old Age of Mary Somerville, with Selections from her Correspondence." Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1874.
- O'Connor, J. J. and E. F. Robertson. "Mary Fairfax Greig Somerville." School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland, 1999.
- Patterson, Elizabeth Chambers. "Mary Somerville and the Cultivation of Science, 1815–1840." Springer, Dordrecht, 1983.
Overview
Mary Somerville was a Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath. She studied mathematics and astronomy, and in 1835 she was elected together with Caroline Herschel as the first female Honorary Members of the Royal Astronomical Society.
When John Stuart Mill, the philosopher and economist, organised a massive pe…
Early life and education
Somerville was the daughter of Vice-Admiral Sir William George Fairfax, scion of a distinguished family of Fairfaxes, and she was related to several prominent Scottish houses through her mother, the admiral's second wife, Margaret Charters, daughter of Samuel Charters, a solicitor.
She was born at the manse of Jedburgh, in the Borders, which was the house of …
Marriage and studies
In 1804 she met her first husband, her distant cousin Lieutenant Samuel Greig, son of Admiral Samuel Greig, when he came to pay a visit. He was commissioner of the Russian navy and Russian consul for Britain. They married and had two children, one of whom, Woronzow Greig, would become a barristerand scientist. They lived in London, but it was not a happy time for Somerville. …
Science practice and writing
Somerville conducted experiments to explore the relationship between light and magnetism and she published her first paper, "The magnetic properties of the violet rays of the solar spectrum", in the Proceedings of the Royal Society in 1826. Sir David Brewster, inventor of the kaleidoscope, wrote in 1829 that Mary Somerville was "certainly the most extraordinary woman in Europe – a mathe…
Death
From 1833 onwards Somerville and her husband spent most of their time in Italy. Somerville maintained correspondence with a large number of leading scientists and remained engaged in current debates on facts and theories.
In 1868, four years before her death aged 91, she was the first person to sign John Stuart Mill's unsuccessful petition for female suffrage. In her autobiograp…
Legacy
In the year following Somerville's death, her autobiographical Personal Recollections was published, consisting of reminiscences written during her old age. Over 10,000 pieces are in the Somerville Collection of the Bodleian Library and Somerville College, Oxford. The collection includes papers relating to her writing and published work, and correspondence with family members, numer…
Children
From her first marriage she had a son, Woronzow Greig (1805–1865), named after Count Semyon Vorontsov, the Russian ambassador in London who had appointed Samuel Greig as his Consul General. Woronzow married Agnes Graham but all their children died at birth or in infancy.
From her second marriage she had three daughters and one son: Margaret Farquhar Somerville (1813–1823; died in childhood), Thomas Somerville (1814–1815; died in infancy), Martha Charte…
Bibliography
• 1826 "On the magnetizing power of the more refrangible solar rays"
• 1831 Mechanism of the Heavens
• 1832 "A Preliminary Dissertation on the Mechanisms of the Heavens"
• 1834 On the Connection of the Physical Sciences
Beginnings
Education
- Mary learned to read the Bible with her mother’s help, and at age seven began helping with the livestock and vegetables. Her memory for words was poor and she did not enjoy learning the Catechisms – a series of religious questions and answers – for the Church of Scotland. Their minister was a strict Calvinist, and Mary found him too gloomy. When Mary was 10, her father re…
Let’s Get Serious
- In 1794, at age 13, Mary received formal school lessons in Edinburgh – she learned arithmetic and how to write properly. She began applying herself more intently to learning. In Burntisland she started teaching herself Latin. For the most part she kept quiet about this – one of her aunts had told her in no uncertain terms to stop reading Shakespear...
Mathematics
- A friend of Mary’s mother gave Mary a fashion magazine. On its final page Mary saw a puzzle featuring numbers mixed with letters – her first encounter with algebra. Strangely intrigued, she tried to find out more, but nobody she knew could help. At that time, Mary was teaching herself Greek. She had learned the Ancient Greeks were brilliant at geometry, and the greatest book on t…
Marriage, Motherhood, and Mathematics
- In 1804, age 23, Mary married her cousin Samuel Greig, the Russian consul for Britain. She moved to his home in London. There she continued studying mathematics independently and also learned French. In 1807, Samuel died. Mary returned to Burntisland with two children. She was financially independent with an inheritance from Samuel. Rising very early each day before her c…
Mathematician and Marriage
- Mary began exchanging mathematics problems and solutions by letter with William Wallace, also self-taught in mathematics. Wallace was editor of a mathematical journal and later became Professor of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. In 1811, age 30, she was awarded a silver medal for her solution to a Diophantinemathematical problem. Wallace was a brilliant if rel…