Autobiography of Sir George Biddell AiryAiry, George Biddell
Science
Autobiography of Sir George Biddell Airy
Airy, George Biddell
Airy, George Biddell, 1801-1892; Astronomers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Autobiographies; Royal Greenwich Observatory
"My letter to the Examiners, announcing my intention of sitting for
Fellowship (which like all other such documents is preserved on my
quires) was delivered on Sept 21st. The Examination took place on
Sept. 22nd and the two following days. On Oct. 1st, 1824, at the usual
hour of the morning, I was elected Fellow. There were elected at the
same time T.B. Macaulay (afterwards Lord Macaulay), who was a year
senior to me in College, and I think Field of my own year. I drew up
my letter of acknowledgment to the Electors. On Oct. 2nd at 9 in the
morning I was admitted Fellow with the usual ceremonies, and at 10 I
called on the Electors with my letter of acknowledgment. I immediately
journeyed to Derbyshire, paid a visit at Edensor, and returned by
Sheffield.
"On Oct. 11th (it having been understood with Mr Higman that my
engagement as Assistant Mathematical Tutor stood) the Master sent for
me to appoint me and to say what was expected as duty of the
office. He held out to me the prospect of ultimately succeeding to the
Tutorship, and I told him that I hoped to be out of College before
that time.
"About this time the 'Athenaeum,' a club of a scientific character,
was established in London, and I was nominated on it, but I declined"
(Oct. 14th). In this year (1824) I commenced account with a banker by
placing _£110_ in the hands of Messrs Mortlock and Co. On Oct. 16th I
walked to Bury, and after a single day's stay there returned to
Cambridge.
"On Oct. 23rd, 1824,1 began my lectures as Mathematical Assistant
Tutor. I lectured the Senior Sophs and Junior Sophs on Higman's
side. The number of Senior Sophs was 21. Besides this I took part in
the 'Examinations of the Questionists,' a series of exercises for
those who were to take the Bachelor's degree in the next January. I
examined in Mechanics, Newton, and Optics. I had also as private
pupils Turner, Dobbs, and Cooper. I now ceased from the exercise which
I had followed with such regularity for five years, namely that of
daily writing Latin. In its stead I engaged a French Master (Goussel)
with whom I studied French with reasonable assiduity for the three
terms to June, 1825.
"Among mathematical investigations I find: Theory of the Moon's
brightness, Motion of a body in an ellipse round two centres of force,
Various differential equations, Numerical computation of sin pi from
series, Numerical computation of sines of various arcs to 18 decimals,
Curvature of surfaces in various directions, Generating functions,
Problem of sound. I began in the winter a Latin Essay as competing
for the Middle Bachelors' Prize, but did not proceed with it. I
afterwards wished that I had followed it up: but my time was fully
occupied.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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