Zeroing in on Zeros

Given a function $latex {f(x)}&fg=000000$ of a real variable, we often have to find the values of $latex {x}&fg=000000$ for which the function is zero. A simple iterative method was devised by Isaac Newton and refined by Joseph Raphson. It is known either as Newton's method or as the Newton-Raphson method. It usually produces highly … Continue reading Zeroing in on Zeros →

George Salmon, Mathematician & Theologian

As you pass through the main entrance of Trinity College, the iconic campanile stands before you, flanked, in pleasing symmetry, by two life-size statues. On the right, on a granite plinth is the historian and essayist William Lecky. On the left, George Salmon (1819–1904) sits on a limestone platform. Salmon was a distinguished mathematician and … Continue reading George Salmon, Mathematician & Theologian →

Spiralling Primes

The prime numbers have presented mathematicians with some of their most challenging problems. They continue to play a central role in number theory, and many key questions remain unsolved. Order and Chaos The primes have many intriguing properties. In his article ``The first 50 million prime numbers'', Don Zagier noted two contradictory characteristics of the … Continue reading Spiralling Primes →

An English Lady with a Certain Taste

One hundred years ago, an English lady, Dr Muriel Bristol, amazed some leading statisticians by proving that she could determine by taste the order in which the constituents are poured in a cup of tea. One of the statisticians was Ronald Fisher. The other was William Roach, who was to marry Dr Bristol shortly afterwards. … Continue reading An English Lady with a Certain Taste →