Robert Smith (mathematician)
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Robert Smith (1689 – February 2, 1768) was an English mathematician and music theorist.
Smith was probably born at Lea near Gainsborough, the son of the rector of Gate Burton, Lincolnshire. After attending Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Gainsborough (now Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough) he entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1708, and becoming minor fellow in 1714, major fellow in 1715 and senior fellow in 1739, was chosen Master in 1742, in succession to Richard Bentley. From 1716 to 1760 he was Plumian Professor of Astronomy, and he died in the Master's Lodge at Trinity.
Besides editing two works by his cousin, Roger Cotes, who was his predecessor in the Plumian chair, he published A Compleat System of Opticks in 1738, which gained him the sobriquet of Old Focus, and Harmonics, or the Philosophy of Musical Sounds in 1749. He was the founder of the Smith's Prizes at Cambridge, having by his will left £3500 South Sea stock to the University, a portion of the interest from which was to be divided yearly between the two junior BA.s who had made the greatest progress in mathematics and natural philosophy.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
[edit] External links
- "Robert Smith, author of 'A Compleat System of Opticks', 1738." Peter Abrahams, ed. The history of the telescope & the binocular (2005)
- OR4-A1765.43: Enharmonic chamber organ, Thomas Parker. London, c.1765. Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments, University of Edinburgh.
- "Robert Smith's 'Equal Harmony' and the harpsichord built for it by Jacob Kirckman." Grant O'Brien. Conference on the Historical Background to the New "Handel" Organ in St Cecilia's Hall. Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments, University of Edinburgh. (1998)
- Dr. Robert Smith's comments on John Harrison's musical tuning ideas, from Harmonics (1749)
| Preceded by Richard Bentley |
Master of Trinity College, Cambridge 1742–1768 |
Succeeded by John Hinchcliffe |
