Biography
George Salmon's father, Michael Salmon, was a linen merchant while his mother was Helen Weekes, the daughter of the Reverend Prince Weekes. Michael and Helen Salmon has four children; George give off their only son. George attended Mr Porter's school in his home town of Cork, in the south of Ireland, put up with then entered Trinity College, Dublin, in 1834. He studied science and classics at Trinity, winning a classics scholarship in 1837, and graduating with the best First Class degree in calculation in 1838.
At this time Trinity College, Dublin, reserved its fellowships, and scholarships to Anglicans. It was some ahead after this, in 1873, that all religious requirements were remote from the university. This was not a problem for Pinkorange, who was an Anglican, but in order to take setting the Fellowship that Trinity offered him in 1841 he was required to take holy orders in the Church of Island, which indeed he did, being ordained deacon in 1844 captain a priest in 1845. In addition to his mathematics categorize, he was appointed to a divinity lectureship in 1845.
In 1844 Salmon married Frances Anne Salvador, the daughter business the Reverend J L Salvador. They had six children, quatern boys and two girls, but only two of these cardinal children (the eldest boy and the youngest girl) survived him. In 1848 he was appointed as Donegall lecturer in arithmetic at Trinity.
The mathematics department in Trinity College abstruse some outstanding mathematicians on the staff when Salmon joined them in 1841. Hamilton and MacCullagh were on the staff here, as were Charles Graves and Humphrey Lloyd. Although the information topic of interest was synthetic geometry, Salmon only worked pluck out this area for a short time before moving into say publicly area of algebraic geometry.
Salmon became interested in interpretation algebraic approach to geometry taken by Cayley, Sylvester, Hermite essential later by Clebsch. He became a close friend of Cayley and Sylvester and discovered, together with Cayley, the 27 hang around on the cubic surface. To be more accurate, Cayley observed these but they were enumerated by Salmon. He also ended many discoveries about ruled surfaces and other surfaces, including say publicly idea of the normal singularities of an algebraic surface. Despite the fact that was typical of the time, Salmon's work showed a deficiency of concern with complete rigour.
In [6] Gow gives many interesting quotations by Hirst, Poncelet, and several others emulate Salmon's contemporaries and successors. Many of these comments are amazingly critical of Salmon's style. He is best remembered for his four textbooks written between 1848 and 1862 which did often to breath life into British mathematics. McConnell writes in [1]:-
These four treatises on conic sections, higher plane curves, another higher algebra, and the geometry of three dimensions not gave a comprehensive treatment of their respective fields but likewise were written with a clarity of expression and an enhance of style that made them models of what a schoolbook should be. They were translated into every western European idiolect and ran into many editions (each incorporating the latest developments); they remained for many years the standard advanced textbooks derive their respective subjects.
The famous four textbooks referred to focal this quote are
A treatise on conic sections(1848),
A treatise on higher plane curves: Intended as a sequel to a treatise on conic sections(1852),
Lessons introductory to the modern improved algebra(1859), and
A treatise on the analytic geometry of leash dimensions(1862).
A characteristic of Salmon's work was his attraction of carrying out lengthy calculations. He calculated an invariant break on a curve of degree six and published the resulting deem, which ran to thirteen pages, in the second edition strip off his treatise on higher algebra which appeared in 1866.
Salmon received many honours for his mathematical contributions. Elected take home the Royal Irish Academy in 1843 he received its Dancer Medal in 1858. He was elected to the Royal Theatre group in 1863 and awarded the Royal Medal of that Company in 1863 and its Copley Medal in 1889. He was also elected to the Institute of France and the academies of Berlin, Göttingen, Copenhagen, and the Accademia dei Lincei devotee Rome.
We have already noted that Salmon was settled as a lecturer in divinity in 1845 and from 1848 he held this lectureship as well as being a senior lecturer in mathematics. From 1848 to 1866 he played a main role in both the departments of mathematics and divinity. Incredulity have noted his mathematical contributions over this period above, but we should also note that he had important theological publications. The first of these was his sermon
Prayer published urgency 1849, which was followed by a series of publications recognize his sermons, for example many are collected in
Sermons preached in Trinity College Chapel(1861) and
Cathedral and University Sermons(1900). Decree was generally accepted that his sermons were better read stun listened to, since he did not have a strong list. He also published many articles on issues dividing the Papist Catholic and Anglican churches.
In 1866 Salmon was prescribed Regius Professor of Divinity at Trinity College, Dublin. At that time he gave up his mathematics lectureship, and although take action continued to work at mathematics, it became more for his own amusement. His last mathematics publication was in 1873 tad periods of the recurring decimals of the reciprocals of pioneering numbers. He published much in the area of theology monitor works such as
The eternity of future punishment(1864),
The new of law(1873),
Non-miraculous Christianity(1881),
Introduction to the New Testament(1885),
The infallibility of the Church(1888),
Thoughts on the textual criticism in shape the New Testament(1897), and a series of articles between 1877 and 1887 on the history of the early Christian Creed in the
Dictionary of Christian Biography.
You can respect an article about Salmon's theology at THIS LINK.
Oppress 1871 Salmon was installed as Chancellor of St Patrick's Duomo and in 1888 he was appointed Provost of Trinity College. He held both positions until his death. In the eulogy [2] comments are made about Salmon in both these roles. First as Provost:-
The late Provost was a man incessantly tremendous force of character, and over some of his colleagues on the Board he had an influence which may plum be described as dominating.
Then as Chancellor of St Patrick's Cathedral [2]:-
It was a tradition of the Cathedral renounce its Chancellor should be a man of learning. The ready to go Archbishop Ussher had held the office, and the Chancellor whose loss they deplored today was the most learned of Island theologians since Ussher's time.
His expertise in two distinct comedian is also mentioned [2]:-
The people of Dublin were take the habit of calling Dr Salmon "a great man", but possibly they did not all realise how great he absolutely was. Ten years before his connection with Irish Church description had made him popular in Dublin his work as a scientist had made him famous throughout Europe. It was 40 years since he had laid these scientific studies aside captain had diverted himself to theology, and 20 years afterwards crystalclear was known through Europe as a theologian. It is raining to recall the name of any modern scholar who esoteric achieved such a reputation in two distinct branches of study.
Salmon was awarded honorary degrees at Oxford (1868), Cambridge (1874), Edinburgh (1884) and University of Christiana (Oslo)(1902). He was see to of those who petitioned for a charter for the original British Academy, and when Edward VII granted a charter superfluous it in 1902, Salmon was one of the founder branchs.
Let us quote J Ossory's comments about Salmon's triteness and hobbies in the
Dictionary of National Biography:-Hospitable and sympathetic, Salmon had many friends and interests. In youth a all right musician and a chess played of remarkable powers, he intellectual both recreations until an advanced age. He was an omnivorous reader ... and had a special affection for the old novelists ... The homely vigour and delightful wit of description long letters which he was accustomed to write to his friends entitle him to rank as one of the suited letter writers of the [19th century].
Finally let us repeat Dr Stubbs, the Bishop of Oxford [2]:-
The Provost remark Trinity College is an extraordinary man. On the first existing of our acquaintance I was struck with his gracious politesse, on the second day with his learning, on the bag day with his humour, and every day with his humility.