Mathematicians Of The Day

7th May



On this day in 1811, Babbage, Herschel and Peacock first met each other to discuss the possible formation of a society whose aim would be to encourage the study of Leibniz's analytical methods in Cambridge. The formal inaugural meeting of the Analytical Society took place very shortly afterwards.

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Quotation of the day

From Alexis Clairaut
It appears even Sir Isaac Newton was of the opinion, that it was necessary the Earth should be more dense toward the centre, in order to be so much the flatter at the poles: and that it followed from this greater flatness, that gravity increased so much the more from the equator towards the Pole.