Brook Taylor 1685-1731

1685. Born at Edmonton, Middlesex on August 18th, to a well-to-do family of the minor nobility.

1690-1700. Tutored at home.

1701. Studied at St. Johns College, Cambridge. Taught by John Machin and John Keill.

1709. Received LL.B degree.

1712. Elected to Royal Society.

1714. Awarded LL.D degree. Became secretary of the Royal Society.

1714-1719. Adjusted to his most productive period in mathematics.

1718. Resigned from being secretary of the Royal Society (through ill-health and boredom) and gave up mathematics for religion and philosophy.

1731. Died at London on December 29th.

Mathematics

• The Taylor series and Taylor theorem.
• First theorems on change of the independent variable.
• Considered to have conceived the possibility of a calculus operation.
• Work also on the vibration of strings and the propogation of light in a non-uniform medium.

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Mathematical Biographies
Jeremy Dittmer
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