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Dollond, John

(Encyclopedia)Dollond, John dŏlˈənd [key], 1706–61, English optician and inventor. A silk weaver, he taught himself languages, mathematics, and science, becoming a noted scholar as well as a scientist. He inve...

Playfair, John

(Encyclopedia)Playfair, John, 1748–1819, Scottish mathematician, physicist, and geologist. He was educated at St. Andrews and Edinburgh and taught first mathematics and then physics and astronomy at the latter un...

Haavelmo, Trygve

(Encyclopedia)Haavelmo, Trygve trügˈvə hävelmō [key], 1911–99, Norwegian economist. In the 1940s, he was a pioneer in the field of econometrics, using mathematics and statistics in the formation of economic ...

Cournot, Antoine Augustin

(Encyclopedia)Cournot, Antoine Augustin äNtwänˈ ōgüstăNˈ ko͞ornōˈ [key], 1801–77, French mathematician and economist. He developed mathematical theories of chance and probability and was one of the firs...

Snell, Willebrord

(Encyclopedia)Snell or Snellius, Willebrord vĭlˈəbrôrt snĕl, snĕlēəs [key], 1591–1626, Dutch mathematician. He is generally credited with the discovery (1621) of the law of the refraction of light. In 161...

Randolph College

(Encyclopedia)Randolph College, at Lynchburg, Va.; United Methodist; est. 1891 as Randolph-Macon Woman's College, opened 1893, renamed and coeducational since 2007. Until 1953 it had a shared administration with Ra...

Göttingen

(Encyclopedia)Göttingen götˈĭng-ən [key], city, Lower Saxony, central Germany, on the Leine River. It is ...

Coffin, James Henry

(Encyclopedia)Coffin, James Henry, 1806–73, American mathematician and meteorologist, was professor of mathematics and physics, Lafayette College, 1846–73. In an observatory which he built on Mt. Greylock, Mass...

Kronecker, Leopold

(Encyclopedia)Kronecker, Leopold lāˈōpôlt krōˈnĕkˌər [key], 1823–91, German mathematician. After making a fortune in business he devoted his attention to mathematics and became professor at the Univ. of ...

Urquhart, Sir Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Urquhart or Urchard, Sir Thomas both: ûrˈkərt [key], 1611–60, Scottish translator and author. A royalist, he was knighted (1641) by Charles I and fought in the civil wars. He wrote treatises on m...