Robert Adrain was an Irish political exile who won renown as a mathematician in the United States, born at Carrickfergus in County Antrim on 30 September 1775 and dead on 10 August 1843. He left Ireland after leading United Irishmen in the Rebellion of 1798, was wounded at the Battle of Antrim, and settled in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where he taught at the academy at Princeton and in 1801 became president of the York County Academy. With Nathaniel Bowditch he shares the distinction of being the first scholar to publish original mathematical research in America, including his formulation of the method of least squares while working on a surveying problem, for which he is chiefly remembered. Many of his investigations concerned the shape of the Earth.
Facts
Connections
In Branch
Source Robert Adrain (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Robert Adrain (Wikipedia)Lead, nationalityQuote, Lead, nationality
Robert Adrain (30 September 1775 – 10 August 1843) was an Irish political exile who won renown as a mathematician in the United States.
Sources
1. MacTutor History of Mathematics: Robert Adrain biography
MacTutor History of MathematicsBiography, birth
MacTutor Home Biographies History Topics Map Curves Search Robert Adrain Quick Info Born 30 September 1775 Carrickfergus, Ireland Died 10 August 1843 New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA Summary Robert Adrain was an Irishman who was one of the first
Biography, gender
View two larger pictures Biography The names of Robert Adrain 's parents are unknown but we do know that his father was a schoolteacher and that he made mathematical instruments.
View the Source Robert Adrain (Wikipedia)
Lead, nationality
Robert Adrain (30 September 1775-10 August 1843) was an Irish political exile who won renown as a mathematician in the United States.
In Branch: Probability and Statistics, Lead, field of work
This included his formulation of the method of least squares while working on a surveying problem (in two proofs of the exponential law of error published independently of Carl Friedrich Gauss) for which he is chiefly remembered.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.