Mary Somerville was a Scottish mathematician and scientist during the nineteenth century, a time when women’s participation in science was discouraged.
 |
| Mary Sommerville |
Nevertheless, when Mary discovered mathematics (in a magazine at school) she began a passionate study the subject.
In 1807, her husband died, leaving her a widow, yet offering her an opportunity quite rare to women of her time. The comfortable inheritance left to her rendered her financially independent. No longer controlled by either her parents or husband, Mary was free to study according to her personal convictions.
She soon mastered J. Ferguson's Astronomy and became a student of Isaac Newton's Principia, despite the fact that many of her family and friends disapproved. Mary continued on to higher honors, publishing numerous books and making algebra more understandable and approachable for others.
Although deaf and frail in her later years, she retained her mental faculties and even continued to, in her words, "read books on the higher algebra for four or five hours in the morning, and even to solve problems" until her peaceful death at the age of ninety two.
Mary Sommerville was listed among the eminent women in the records of the St. George Temple. To learn more about the painting by Michael Bedard in this video please click here.
0 comments:
Post a Comment