Ivory

James Ivory

Born: 17 Feb 1765 in Dundee, Scotland
Died: 21 Sept 1842 in London, England

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James Ivory was educated at St Andrews and Edinburgh and taught mathematics in Dundee. He became manager of a flax spinning company and then became professor of mathematics at the Royal Military College, Great Malvern (which became Sandhurst).

Ivory studied applications of mathematics, in particular the attraction of ellipsoids, orbits of comets, refraction, equilibrium of fluids and rotating ellipsoids based on methods of Jacobi and Liouville. His work led to him becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society, receiving both the Copley Medal and the Royal Medal and he was knighted. He made a critical commentary of Laplace's Méchanique céleste which was praised by Laplace.

References:

  1. Dictionary of Scientific Biography
  2. Obituary of Sir James Ivory, Roy. Soc. London Abstracts 4 (1842), 406-412.
  3. O Sheynin, Ivory's Treatment of Pendulum Observations, Historia Mathematica 21 (1994), 174-184.
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JOC/EFR February 1996