The Professor Lucasiano chair at the University of Cambridge – 06/06/2023 – Marcelo Viana

The Professor Lucasiano chair at the University of Cambridge – 06/06/2023 – Marcelo Viana


The Reverend Henry Lucas (1610–1663), a student of the University of Cambridge and later its representative in the British Parliament, bequeathed funds to the university in his will to buy land, the proceeds of which would be used to pay the salary of a professor of mathematics.

This chair was made official by King Charles IIO, in 1664, and is today one of the most renowned university positions in the world. Over 360 years, 19 mathematicians, astronomers and physicists (men…) have held the position of Lucasian Professor, including Isaac Newton (1643–1727), Paul Dirac (1902–1984) and Stephen Hawking (1942–2018).

The first holder was Isaac Barrow (1630–1677), theologian and mathematician who made a relevant contribution to the development of infinitesimal calculus, especially for his study of tangent lines to curves. He was succeeded by the great Isaac Newton, his disciple, who held the position for 33 years, from 1669 to 1702.

The theologian, historian, and mathematician William Whiston (1667–1752), who followed Newton, shared unorthodox religious ideas with him. Both rejected the Christian dogma of the Trinity, and Whiston also opposed the idea of ​​eternal punishment in hell, which he considered “absurd, cruel and an insult to God”. This earned him his resignation from the professorship and expulsion from the university in 1710.

The record for permanence is held by Irish physicist and mathematician George Stokes (1819–1903), who was Lucasian Professor for 54 years, from 1849 until his death. Interestingly, Stokes also represented the University of Cambridge as a Member of Parliament.

The shortest term was that of the astronomer and mathematician George Airy (1801–1892): elected in 1826, he resigned a year and a little later, in favor of another university chair with a better salary. Royal Astronomer for 46 years, Airy was responsible for transforming the Greenwich Astronomical Observatory into the main world reference in the area.

He was replaced as Lucasian Professor by Charles Babbage (1791–1871), philosopher, mathematician, engineer, and inventor, who many consider the “father of the computer”. Babbage conceived the idea of ​​a digital calculating machine, which could be configured (“programmed”) to perform different calculations. He died before completing his ambitious project, but the machine was finally built in 1991, using Babbage’s original plans and technology available in his time, which proved that his ideas were viable.

Nicholas Saunderson (1682-1739), the fourth Lucasian Professor, is less well known than those I mentioned above, but he is equally remarkable. I will write about it next week.


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