Edinburgh Mathematical Society
Encyclopedia
The Edinburgh Mathematical Society is the leading mathematical
society in Scotland
.
The Society was founded in 1883 by a group of Edinburgh
schoolteachers and academics, on the initiative of A. Y. Fraser and A. J. G. Barclay, teachers at George Watson's College
and Cargill Gilston Knott
, who was the assistant of Peter Guthrie Tait
, the professor of physics at the University of Edinburgh
. The first president was J.S. Mackay, the head mathematics master at the Edinburgh Academy
.
The Society organises and funds meetings and other research events throughout Scotland. It also publishes an academic journal (the Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society) and every four years awards the Sir Edmund Whittaker Memorial Prize to an outstanding mathematician with a Scottish connection. It is a corporate member of the European Mathematical Society
.
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
society in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The Society was founded in 1883 by a group of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
schoolteachers and academics, on the initiative of A. Y. Fraser and A. J. G. Barclay, teachers at George Watson's College
George Watson's College
George Watson's College, known informally as Watson's, is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871 and was merged with its sister school...
and Cargill Gilston Knott
Cargill Gilston Knott
Cargill Gilston Knott was a Scottish physicist and mathematician who was a pioneer in seismological research. He spent his early career in Japan...
, who was the assistant of Peter Guthrie Tait
Peter Guthrie Tait
Peter Guthrie Tait FRSE was a Scottish mathematical physicist, best known for the seminal energy physics textbook Treatise on Natural Philosophy, which he co-wrote with Kelvin, and his early investigations into knot theory, which contributed to the eventual formation of topology as a mathematical...
, the professor of physics at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. The first president was J.S. Mackay, the head mathematics master at the Edinburgh Academy
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...
.
The Society organises and funds meetings and other research events throughout Scotland. It also publishes an academic journal (the Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society) and every four years awards the Sir Edmund Whittaker Memorial Prize to an outstanding mathematician with a Scottish connection. It is a corporate member of the European Mathematical Society
European Mathematical Society
The European Mathematical Society is a European organization dedicated to the development of mathematics in Europe. Its members are different mathematical societies in Europe, academic institutions and individual mathematicians...
.