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James Joseph Sylvester: Life and Work in Letters
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In the folklore of mathematics, James Joseph Sylvester (1814-1897) is the eccentric, hot-tempered, sword-cane-wielding, nineteenth-century British Jew who, together with the taciturn Arthur Cayley, developed a theory and language of invariants that then died spectacularly in the 1890s as a result of David Hilbert's groundbreaking, `modern' techniques. This, like all folklore, has some grounding in fact but owes much to fiction. The present volume brings together for the first time 140 letters from Sylvester's correspondence in an effort to establish the true picture. It reveals - through the l...
In the folklore of mathematics, James Joseph Sylvester (1814-1897) is the eccentric, hot-tempered, sword-cane-wielding, nineteenth-century British Jew who, together with the taciturn Arthur Cayley, developed a theory and language of invariants that then died spectacularly in the 1890s as a result of David Hilbert's groundbreaking, `modern' techniques. This, like all folklore, has some grounding in fact but owes much to fiction. The present volume brings together for the first time 140 letters from Sylvester's correspondence in an effort to establish the true picture. It reveals - through the letters as well as through the detailed mathematical and historical commentary accompanying them - Sylvester the friend, man of principle, mathematician, poet, professor, scientific activist, social observer, traveller. It also provides a detailed look at Sylvester's thoughts and thought processes as it shows him acting in both personal and professional spheres over the course of his eighty-two year life. The Sylvester who emerges from this analysis - unlike the Sylvester of the folkloric caricature - offers deep insight into the development of the technical and social structures of mathematics.
James Joseph Sylvester (1814-1897) was one of the great characters of British and American science of the last century. As a Jew he was barred from the upper echelons of British life and academia, but in America he was a hugely influential figure. He was a founding father of the American Mathematical Society, and established a blueprint for mathematics education in American universities. This book brings together for the first time 140 letters from his correspondence in an attempt to separate the fact from the many myths surrounding his life and work. It provides - through the letters and through detailed mathematical and historical commentary - new insights into Sylvester the man and the mathematician as well as into the development of the technical and social structures of mathematics and 19th century society.
James Joseph Sylvester (1814-1897) was one of the great characters of British and American science of the last century. As a Jew he was barred from the upper echelons of British life and academia, but in America he was a hugely influential figure. He was a founding father of the American Mathematical Society, and established a blueprint for mathematics education in American universities. This book brings together for the first time 140 letters from his correspondence in an attempt to separate the fact from the many myths surrounding his life and work. It provides - through the letters and through detailed mathematical and historical commentary - new insights into Sylvester the man and the mathematician as well as into the development of the technical and social structures of mathematics and 19th century society.