John Robertson (FRS)
John Robertson (1712–1776) was an English mathematician, and a Fellow, clerk and librarian of the Royal Society.
Life
Initially apprenticed to a trade, Robertson became a teacher of mathematics. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1741. In 1747 he was appointed master of the Royal Mathematical School at Christ's Hospital, assistant there to James Hodgson.[1][2]
In 1755 Robertson became first master of the Royal Naval Academy, Portsmouth. Having lost this appointment in 1766 through intrigues of the second master, he returned to London, and was appointed clerk and librarian to the Royal Society on 7 January 1768. This post he held till his death, on 11 December 1776.[1]
Works
Robertson's major publication was The Elements of Navigation, which appeared in 1754, and went through seven editions in fifty years. His other works were:[1]
- A Compleat Treatise of Mensuration, 1739; 2nd edit. 1748.
- Mathematical Instruments, 1747; 4th edit. 1778 (by W. Mountaine).
- A Translation of De La Caille's Elements of Astronomy, 1750.
Robertson also published nine papers in the Philosophical Transactions, 1750–72.[3] To him has been attributed the discovery of the theorem that stereographic projection from the sphere is a conformal map projection.[1]
Family
Robertson was married, and his wife was left with eight children when he died. She worked for the Royal Society as housekeeper. The eldest son of the marriage, worked as Royal Society librarian.[2]
Notes
- 1 2 3 4
Lee, Sidney, ed. (1896). "Robertson, John (1712–1776)". Dictionary of National Biography. 48. London: Smith, Elder & Co. - 1 2 McConnell, Anita. "Robertson, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/23802. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ↑ On Logarithmic Tangents; On Logarithmic Lines on Gunter's Scale; On Extraordinary Phenomena in Portsmouth Harbour; On the Specific Gravity of Living Men; On the Fall of Water under Bridges; On Circulating Decimals; On the Motion of a Body deflected by Forces from Two Fixed Points; and On Twenty Cases of Compound Interest.
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1896). "Robertson, John (1712–1776)". Dictionary of National Biography. 48. London: Smith, Elder & Co.