Chapter VII - The analytical school

Summary

The isolation of English mathematicians from their continental contemporaries is the distinctive feature of the history of the latter half of the eighteenth century. Towards the close of that century the more thoughtful members of the university recognized that this was a serious evil, and it would seem that the chief obstacle to the adoption of analytical methods and the notation of the differential calculus arose from the professorial body and the senior members of the senate, who regarded any attempt at innovation as a sin against the memory of Newton.

I propose in this chapter to give a sketch of the rise of the analytical school, and shall briefly mention the chief works of Robert Woodhouse, George Peacock, Charles Babbage, and Sir John Herschel. The later history of that school is too near our own times to render it possible or desirable to discuss it in similar detail: and I shall make no attempt to do so.

The earliest attempt in this country to explain and advocate the notation and methods of the calculus as used on the continent was due to Woodhouse, who stands out as the apostle of the new movement.

Robert Woodhouse was born at Norwich on April 28, 1773, took his B.A. as senior wrangler and first Smith's prizeman in 1795 from Caius College, was elected to a fellowship in due course, and continued to live at Cambridge till his death on Dec. 23, 1827.