James Hann (1799–1856) was an English mathematician, teacher and textbook writer.

Life

Hann was born at

Washington, County Durham Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland district of Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it is the ancestral settlement of the Washington family, which George Washington descended from. It is located between Che ...

, where his father was a colliery smith. After working as a fireman at a pumping-station at

Hebburn Hebburn is a town in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It governed under the borough of South Tyneside; formerly governed under the county of Durham until 1974 with its own urban district from 1894 until 1974. It is on the south ...

, he was for several years on one of the steamers used on the

Tyne River The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wat ...

for towing vessels. He studied mathematics, in particular the works of William Emerson the fluxionist. Hann then became a teacher, and kept a school at Friar's Goose, near

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

. An acquaintanceship with

Wesley S. B. Woolhouse Wesley Stoker Barker Woolhouse (6 May 1809 – 12 August 1893) was an English actuary with diverse interests in music theory, the design of steam locomotives, measurements, and many other fields, publishing books in all these fields. Biography H ...

the mathematician led to Hann's obtaining a situation as calculator in the Nautical Almanac Office. A few years later he was appointed writing-master, and then shortly mathematical master at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a public school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was founded in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London and ...

, London; this post he held till his death. Among his pupils was

Henry Fawcett Henry Fawcett (26 August 1833 – 6 November 1884) was a British academic, politician, statesman and economist. Background and education Henry Fawcett was born in Salisbury, and educated at King's College School and the University of Cambri ...

. Hann was elected a member of the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...

in 1843, and was an honorary member of the Philosophical Society of Newcastle-on-Tyne. He died in King's College Hospital 17 August 1856, aged 57 years.

Works

In applied mathematics Hann wrote: * ''Mathematics for Practical Men'', published 1833, with

Isaac Dodds Isaac Dodds and Son was a locomotive manufacturer based in the Holmes district of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. Isaac Dodds took over part of the works of Samuel Walker and Company in Rotherham sometime while he was Superintendent of the ...

of Gateshead, a friend and owner of one of the steamers on which Hann worked; * ''The Theory of Bridges'', 1843, with

William Hosking William Hosking (26 November 1800 – 2 August 1861) was an English writer, lecturer, and architect who had an important influence on the growth and development of London in Victorian times. He became the first Professor of Architecture at K ...

; * ''Treatise on the Steam Engine, with Practical Rules'', 1847, for John Weale; * ''Principles and Practice of the Machinery of Locomotive Engines'', 1850, for Weale. In 1841, with

Olinthus Gregory Olinthus Gilbert Gregory (29 January 17742 February 1841) was an English mathematician, author, and editor. Biography He was born on 29 January 1774 at Yaxley in Huntingdonshire, the son of Robert, a shoemaker, and Ann, who also had three you ...

, Hann drew up and published ''Tables for the Use of Nautical Men''. He also contributed papers to the ''Diaries'' and other mathematical periodicals. Hann published on mechanics and pure mathematics, works in these areas being for Weale's ''Rudimentary Series'': * ''Analytical Geometry'' (later reworked by John Radford Young); * ''Treatise on Plane Trigonometry''; * ''Spherical Trigonometry''; * ''Examples of the Integral Calculus''; * ''Examples of the Differential Calculus''.

Family

Hann married as a young Man, and had several Children.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Hann, James 1799 births 1856 deaths English mathematicians English writers Schoolteachers from County Durham