Sir William Rowan Hamilton

One of the most imaginative mathematicians of the nineteenth century, Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865) changed the course of modern algebra with his discovery of quaternions in 1843. Although Hamilton's work was largely theoretical, his ideas came to have invaluable practical applications with the advent of quantum mechanics in the twentieth century. In this acclaimed biography, Thomas L. Hankins brings together the many aspects of Hamilton's life and work-from his significant contributions to mathematics, optics, and mechanics to his passion for metaphysics, poetry, and politics-fully portraying the brilliant man whose faith and idealism guided him in everything he did.

Table of Contents:
Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction I. Birth and Education 1. Early Years 2. Trinity College and Dunsink Observatory 3. Life at the Observatory II. Ray Optics 4. The "Theory of Systems of Rays" 5. Creating the "Theory of Systems of Rays" 6. Conical Refraction III. Marriage 7. Philosophical Romance 8. Helen Bayly IV. Light and Dynamics 9. Theories of Light 10. Optics at the British Association 11. The Luminiferous Aether 12. The Metaphysical Foundations of Mechanics 13. The General Method in Dynamics 14. The Fate of the Optical-Mechanical Analogy V. Politics and Religion 15. Reform and Religious Turmoil 16. In and Out of the Oxford Movement VI. "Algebra as the Science of Pure Time" 17. The Foundations of Algebra and the Coleridgean View of Science 18. "Algebra as the Science of Pure time" 19. The Kantian Content of the "Essay on Algebra as the Science of Pure Time" 20. The Equation of the Fifth Degree VII. Quarternions 21. From Algebraic Couples to Quaternions 22. The Creation of Quarternions 23. The Fate of Quarternions 24. The Hodograph and the Icosian Calculus VIII. Last Years 25. Catherine Disney Barlow 26. The End of a Career 27. Hamilton and Nineteenth-Century Science Appendix: The Equations of Conjugation and Logarithms of Number Couples Abbreviations Used in the Notes Notes Bibliographical Essay Index

About the Author :
Thomas L. Hankins is a professor emeritus of the history of science at the University of Washington.

Review :
By a combination of exacting scholarship and distinguished writing, Hankins has produced a book which is both an important record and a marvelous read. -- I. Grattan-Guinness Annals of Science An interesting, well-written biography of the great nineteenth-century mathematician. -- Burnett Meyer Mathematical Reviews Hankins has given [Hamilton] the detailed biography that he merits. The author integrates his discussions of Hamilton's poetic, metaphysical and mathematical facets to provide a balanced picture of a complex individual against the background of the religious, philosophical, political, and social movements of the time. Library Journal Thomas Hankins has given us much more than just a good biography of a leading scientific personality of the 19th century, although that it certainly is... Thorough in the scientific aspects of his book, the author also deals substantially with the philosophical, religious, and political events that bore so heavily on Hamilton's work and personal life. -- Brian D. Murphy Oak Ridge National Laboratory Review [A] most welcome general biography of Hamilton... an interesting account of a fascinating life. -- P. A. Wayman Irish Astronomical Journal Hankins' biography is analytic... comprehensive, and ambitiously aimed at integrating all the facets of Hamilton's richly productive but troubled life... In the difficult genre of scientific biography, where good books are rare, Hankins's Hamilton is excellent. -- Michael J. Crowe Science Hankins's treatment of Hamilton's works is always clear and concise. His biography displays a mastery of the technical details of Hamilton's mathematics as well as an understanding of the origins of Hamilton's ideas... This biography is extraordinarily well written and a pleasure to read. -- Henry John Steffens American Historical Review