Autobiography of Sir George Biddell AiryAiry, George Biddell
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Autobiography of Sir George Biddell Airy
Airy, George Biddell
Airy, George Biddell, 1801-1892; Astronomers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Autobiographies; Royal Greenwich Observatory
The most resolute antigravitationist that ever lived might yet
acknowledge his debt to Newton for the Method of Prime and Ultimate
Ratios and the Principles of Fluxions by which Newton sought to
establish gravitation.
So let it be with Colenso. He has given me a power of tracing out
truth to a certain extent which I never could have obtained without
him. And for this I am very grateful.
As to the further employment of this power, you know that he and I use
it to totally different purposes. But not the less do I say that I owe
to him a new intellectual power.
I quite agree with you, that the sudden disruption of the old
traditional view seems to have unhinged his mind, and to have sent him
too far on the other side. I would not give a pin for his judgment.
Nevertheless, I wish he would go over the three remaining books of the
Tetrateuch.
I know something of Myers, but I should not have thought him likely to
produce anything sound on such things as the Hebrew Scriptures. I
never saw his "Thoughts."
I am, my dear Sir,
Yours very truly,
G.B. AIRY.
_Professor Selwyn_.
* * * * *
The following letter has reference to Airy's proposal to introduce
certain Physico-Mathematical subjects into the Senate-House
Examination for B.A. Honors at Cambridge. On various occasions he
sharply criticized the Papers set for the Senate-House Examination and
the Smith's Prize Examination, and greatly lamented the growing
importance of pure mathematics and the comparative exclusion of
physical questions in those examinations. His proposal as finally
submitted in the letter that follows was somewhat modified (as regards
the mode of introducing the subjects) from his original draft, in
deference to the opinions of Whewell, Adams, Routh, and other friends
to whom he had submitted it. His proposal was favourably received by
the Mathematical Board, and recommendations were made in the
direction, though not to the extent, that he desired, and he
subsequently submitted a Memorandum on those recommendations:
ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH,
_1866, May 11_.
MY DEAR SIR,
You will perceive, from perusal of the enclosed paper, that I have
acted on the permission which you kindly gave me, to transmit to you
my proposal for extension of the mathematical education of the
University in the Physical direction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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