John Wilson (mathematician)

For other people named John Wilson, see John Wilson (disambiguation).

John Wilson (6 August 1741, Applethwaite, Westmorland – 18 October 1793, Kendal, Westmorland)[1] was an English mathematician. The theorem, Wilson's Theorem, named after him for its discovery from Ibn al-Haytham, not its proof.

Wilson attended school in Staveley, Cumbria before going up to Peterhouse, Cambridge in 1757,[2] where he was a student of Edward Waring. He was Senior Wrangler in 1761.[2] He was later knighted, and became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1782. He was Judge of Common Pleas from 1786 until his death in 1793.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Robinson (2003), p. 50.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, John in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.

References