John Purser (1835–1903) was an Irish

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

, who was professor at

Queen's College, Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

Life and work

Son of John Tertius Purser (1809–1893), the general manager of the well known brewery

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...

, Purser was educated in a wealthy family, which included artists, as his cousin

Sarah Purser Sarah Henrietta Purser RHA (22 March 1848 – 7 August 1943) was an Irish artist mainly noted for her work with stained glass. Biography Purser was born in Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) in County Dublin, and raised in Dungarvan, County Wat ...

, or engineers, as his brother-in-law

John Purser Griffith Sir John Purser Griffith (5 October 1848 – 21 October 1938) was a Welsh-born Irish civil engineer and politician. Griffith was educated at Trinity College Dublin, and gained a licence in civil engineering in 1868. He served a two-year appren ...

. He was the brother of mathematician

Frederick Purser Frederick Purser (1839–30 January 1910) was an Irish mathematician, author, and member of the Royal Irish Academy. He was a younger brother to mathematician John Purser. Life and career Born in Dublin, Frederick attended a boarding school r ...

. He studied in

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, graduating BA in mathematics in 1856. The following years Purser was tutor to the children of

Lord Rosse William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (17 June 1800 – 31 October 1867), was an Irish astronomer, naturalist, and engineer. He was president of the Royal Society (UK), the most important association of naturalists in the world in the nineteenth ...

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

and

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

. In 1863, he was appointed professor of mathematics at

, he was in place until his retirement in 1901. Purser is much better known as a teacher than as a researcher,, MacTutor History of Mathematics. and he had a good number of notable students, including Sir

Joseph Larmor Sir Joseph Larmor (11 July 1857 – 19 May 1942) was an Irish and British physicist and mathematician who made breakthroughs in the understanding of electricity, dynamics, thermodynamics, and the electron theory of matter. His most influent ...

, theoretical physicist who served as

Lucasian Professor of Mathematics The Lucasian Chair of Mathematics () is a mathematics professorship in the University of Cambridge, England; its holder is known as the Lucasian Professor. The post was founded in 1663 by Henry Lucas, who was Cambridge University's Member of Pa ...

at the University of Cambridge; Charles Parsons, the inventor of the turbine; Sir

John Henry MacFarland Sir John Henry MacFarland (19 April 1851 – 22 July 1935) was an Irish–Australian university chancellor. MacFarland was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland and educated at the Royal Academical Institution, Belfast. He was senior scholar in ...

, who became Chancellor of Melbourne University; and

William McFadden Orr 250px William McFadden Orr, FRS (2 May 1866 – 14 August 1934) was a British and Irish mathematician. He was born in Comber, County Down and educated at Methodist College Belfast and Queen's College, Belfast under John Purser, before en ...

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Purser, John 19th-century Irish mathematicians 1835 births 1903 deaths