Samuel McLaren
Encyclopedia
Professor Samuel Bruce McLaren (16 August 1876 – 13 August 1916) was an Australia
n mathematician
and mathematical physicist. Joint winner of the Adams Prize 1913 and Professor of Mathematics, University College, Reading from 1913 until his death during the Battle of the Somme.
, Japan
, elder son of Rev. Samuel Gilfillan McLaren M.A. a Scottish missionary and later professor of sacred history and biblical literature at the Presbyterian Union Theological Seminary, and Marjory Millar McLaren née Bruce. In 1886, the family moved to Australia, where in 1889 his father became principal of Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne
. Samuel McLaren was educated at Brighton Grammar School
and Scotch College, Melbourne
, where he was dux in mathematics in 1893. He gained a scholarship at Ormond College
, University of Melbourne
, and qualified for the Bachelor of Arts degree at the end of 1896 with first class final honours, and the final honours and Wyselaskie scholarships in mathematics. He also shared the Dixon scholarship in natural philosophy. One of his teachers at the University stated in 1903 that McLaren was by far the ablest student he had met during his twelve years’ tenure of office, and one whose ability should be sufficient to place him in a very conspicuous position as an original thinker.
and was elected into a major scholarship in 1899, and was third wrangler in the same year. Taking part 2 of the mathematical tripos
in his third year, he was placed in the second division of the first class. He was awarded an Isaac Newton
studentship in astronomy
and physical optics in 1901, and graduated M.A. in 1905. Not absorbed by mathematics alone he was interested in philosophy, literature and art, and played football tennis and boxed.
1904-06. Then from 1906 until 1913 obtained a similar position at the University of Birmingham
. Between 1911 and 1913 he wrote some important papers on radiation which were published in the Philosophical Magazine
, and he presented some of the more fundamental parts of his work to the mathematical congress at Cambridge in 1912. John William Nicholson, professor of mathematics in the University of London, writing in 1918 said McLaren "undoubtedly anticipated Einstein and Abraham in their suggestion of a variable velocity of light, with the consequent expressions for the energy and momentum of the gravitational field". In 1913 he was made professor of mathematics at University College, Reading where he took much interest in the development of the young university. In 1913 he shared the, at the time, biennial Adams Prize
of the University of Cambridge with Nicholson.
, and met his parents again shortly before his father died. The First World War broke out while he was in Australia, and on his return to England he enlisted and was given a commission as lieutenant
in the Royal Engineers
. Though he loathed bloodshed and was altogether out of his element he did valuable work in charge of signalling and electrical communications.
During the Battle of the Somme, on 26 July 1916, near Abbeville
, he was shot in the head while endeavouring to clear a pit of bombs threatened by a nearby fire. He returned a second time to continue this work, but was hit again. He was carried on a stretcher to the dressing station, on the way the bearers put the stretcher down for a minutes rest, and Lt. McLaren stood up, declaring he was too heavy and would walk. He collapsed and after a few days in hospital he died of his wounds on 13 August 1916. He was unmarried and was buried at Abbeville.
Described as 'absolutely fearless and intrepid to an extent which made him both an anxiety to his brother officers and an inspiration to his men', one of the tragedies of his death was that it occurred before he published his papers and consequently much of his work was lost. His death and that of Henry Moseley
were considered as perhaps the two most irreparable losses to British science caused by the First World War. Papers by McLaren were published posthumously as Scientific Papers (Cambridge, 1925) with a preface by Sir Joseph Larmor, a 'Personal Appreciation' by Prof. Hugh Walker and a reprint of an obituary by Prof. J. W. Nicholson. In it McLaren's best friend Prof. Walker wrote;
His brother Charles
was a prominent psychiatrist and missionary to east Asia.
Photograph available at; http://photos.aip.org/quickSearch.jsp?qsearch=mclaren&group=10
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and mathematical physicist. Joint winner of the Adams Prize 1913 and Professor of Mathematics, University College, Reading from 1913 until his death during the Battle of the Somme.
Early life
McLaren was born in Yedo, near TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, elder son of Rev. Samuel Gilfillan McLaren M.A. a Scottish missionary and later professor of sacred history and biblical literature at the Presbyterian Union Theological Seminary, and Marjory Millar McLaren née Bruce. In 1886, the family moved to Australia, where in 1889 his father became principal of Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne , is an independent,private, Presbyterian, day and boarding school predominantly for girls, located in Burwood, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
. Samuel McLaren was educated at Brighton Grammar School
Brighton Grammar School
Brighton Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day school for boys, located in Brighton, a south-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, where he was dux in mathematics in 1893. He gained a scholarship at Ormond College
Ormond College (University of Melbourne)
Ormond College is the largest of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne. It is home to 332 undergraduates, 30 postgraduates and 27 professorial/academic residents.-Establishment:...
, University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, and qualified for the Bachelor of Arts degree at the end of 1896 with first class final honours, and the final honours and Wyselaskie scholarships in mathematics. He also shared the Dixon scholarship in natural philosophy. One of his teachers at the University stated in 1903 that McLaren was by far the ablest student he had met during his twelve years’ tenure of office, and one whose ability should be sufficient to place him in a very conspicuous position as an original thinker.
Study in England
Moving to England in 1897, McLaren attended Trinity College, CambridgeTrinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
and was elected into a major scholarship in 1899, and was third wrangler in the same year. Taking part 2 of the mathematical tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
in his third year, he was placed in the second division of the first class. He was awarded an Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
studentship in astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and physical optics in 1901, and graduated M.A. in 1905. Not absorbed by mathematics alone he was interested in philosophy, literature and art, and played football tennis and boxed.
Mathematical career
McLaren was lecturer in mathematics at University College, BristolUniversity College, Bristol
University College, Bristol was an educational institution which existed from 1876 to 1909. It was the predecessor institution to the University of Bristol, which gained a Royal Charter in 1909...
1904-06. Then from 1906 until 1913 obtained a similar position at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
. Between 1911 and 1913 he wrote some important papers on radiation which were published in the Philosophical Magazine
Philosophical Magazine
The Philosophical Magazine is one of the oldest scientific journals published in English. Initiated by Alexander Tilloch in 1798, in 1822 Richard Taylor became joint editor and it has been published continuously by Taylor & Francis ever since; it was the journal of choice for such luminaries as...
, and he presented some of the more fundamental parts of his work to the mathematical congress at Cambridge in 1912. John William Nicholson, professor of mathematics in the University of London, writing in 1918 said McLaren "undoubtedly anticipated Einstein and Abraham in their suggestion of a variable velocity of light, with the consequent expressions for the energy and momentum of the gravitational field". In 1913 he was made professor of mathematics at University College, Reading where he took much interest in the development of the young university. In 1913 he shared the, at the time, biennial Adams Prize
Adams Prize
The Adams Prize is awarded each year by the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and St John's College to a young, UK based mathematician for first-class international research in the Mathematical Sciences....
of the University of Cambridge with Nicholson.
Late life
In 1914 he visited Australia with other members of the British Association for the Advancement of ScienceBritish Association for the Advancement of Science
frame|right|"The BA" logoThe British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between...
, and met his parents again shortly before his father died. The First World War broke out while he was in Australia, and on his return to England he enlisted and was given a commission as lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. Though he loathed bloodshed and was altogether out of his element he did valuable work in charge of signalling and electrical communications.
During the Battle of the Somme, on 26 July 1916, near Abbeville
Abbeville
Abbeville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Location:Abbeville is located on the Somme River, from its modern mouth in the English Channel, and northwest of Amiens...
, he was shot in the head while endeavouring to clear a pit of bombs threatened by a nearby fire. He returned a second time to continue this work, but was hit again. He was carried on a stretcher to the dressing station, on the way the bearers put the stretcher down for a minutes rest, and Lt. McLaren stood up, declaring he was too heavy and would walk. He collapsed and after a few days in hospital he died of his wounds on 13 August 1916. He was unmarried and was buried at Abbeville.
Described as 'absolutely fearless and intrepid to an extent which made him both an anxiety to his brother officers and an inspiration to his men', one of the tragedies of his death was that it occurred before he published his papers and consequently much of his work was lost. His death and that of Henry Moseley
Henry Moseley
Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley was an English physicist. Moseley's outstanding contribution to the science of physics was the justification from physical laws of the previous empirical and chemical concept of the atomic number. This stemmed from his development of Moseley's law in X-ray spectra...
were considered as perhaps the two most irreparable losses to British science caused by the First World War. Papers by McLaren were published posthumously as Scientific Papers (Cambridge, 1925) with a preface by Sir Joseph Larmor, a 'Personal Appreciation' by Prof. Hugh Walker and a reprint of an obituary by Prof. J. W. Nicholson. In it McLaren's best friend Prof. Walker wrote;
-
- He bore the load of thoughts that passed the spheres
- Exile he bore, for duty must be done
- Few were his friends, and rarer still his peers
- Alone he stood, for genius lives alone.
-
- The world crashed round him ; and his soul, called back
- From those “strange seas” whereon it voyaged still,
- Faced humble tasks to shape and Empire’s track
- One hair’s breadth nearer the Eternal Will.
-
- He died. But sure that spirit pure and high
- By death has made his own the immortal prize
- For always, in the Everlasting’s eye,
- The grandest virtue is self-sacrifice.”
His brother Charles
Charles McLaren (psychiatrist)
Charles Inglis McLaren M.D. was an Australian psychiatrist and missionary.McLaren was born in Tokyo to Rev. Samuel Gilfillan McLaren M.A., a Scottish missionary, and his wife Marjory...
was a prominent psychiatrist and missionary to east Asia.
External links
- Scientific papers ...including an Adams prize essay...by the late Samuel Bruce McLaren at Niels Bohr Library Book Catalog
Photograph available at; http://photos.aip.org/quickSearch.jsp?qsearch=mclaren&group=10