Editing Lucasian Professor of Mathematics

{{Short description|Mathematics professorship in the University of Cambridge, England}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
The '''Lucasian Chair of Mathematics''' ({{IPAc-en|l|uː|ˈ|k|eɪ|z|i|ə|n}}) is a mathematics professorship in the [[University of Cambridge]], England; its holder is known as the '''Lucasian Professor'''. The post was founded in 1663 by [[Henry Lucas (politician)|Henry Lucas]], who was [[Cambridge University (UK Parliament constituency)|Cambridge University's Member of Parliament]] in 1639&ndash;1640, and it was officially established by [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] on 18 January 1664. It has been called the most celebrated professorship in the world, and the most famous academic chair in the world due to the prestige of many of its holders, and the groundbreaking work done by them.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Knox |first1=Kevin C. |url=https://archive.org/details/fromnewtontohawk0000unse/page/1 |title=From Newton to Hawking: A History of Cambridge University's Lucasian Professors of Mathematics |last2=Noakes |first2=Richard |date=2003 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-66310-6 |location= |pages=xxi, 1 |language=en}}</ref> It was said by ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' to be one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world.<ref>{{cite news |date=2009-10-21 |title=Michael Green to become Lucasian Professor of Mathematics |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/6389935/Michael-Green-to-become-Lucasian-Professor-of-Mathematics.html |access-date=11 December 2012 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> Since its establishment, the professorship has been held by, among others, [[Isaac Newton]], [[Charles Babbage]], [[Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet|George Stokes]], [[Joseph Larmor]], [[Paul Dirac]] and [[Stephen Hawking]].

==History==
[[Henry Lucas (politician)|Henry Lucas]], in his [[will (law)|will]], bequeathed his library of 4,000 volumes to the university and left instructions for the purchase of land whose yielding should provide £100 a year for the founding of a professorship.<ref name="Lucasian History">{{cite web |first=Robert |last=Bruen |url=http://www.lucasianchair.org/papers/brief.html |title=A Brief History of The Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at Cambridge University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131223124958/http://www.lucasianchair.org/papers/brief.html |archive-date=23 December 2013 |work=LucasianChair.org |date=May 1995 |access-date=9 July 2017}}</ref>

It is the third oldest chair of mathematics in [[Great Britain]], after the [[Gresham Professor of Geometry]] at [[Gresham College]] and the [[Savilian Professor of Geometry]] at the [[University of Oxford]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1932 |title=The Lucasian Professors at Cambridge |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/130117a0 |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=130 |issue=3273 |pages=117–119 |doi=10.1038/130117a0 |bibcode=1932Natur.130..117. |issn=0028-0836}}</ref> 

In the 1800s and following decades, the Lucasian professors "played important roles in making Britain the preeminent scientific state and in changing the university from a ‘gentleman’s club’ to a research institution."<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Knox |first1=Kevin C. |url=https://archive.org/details/fromnewtontohawk0000unse/page/35 |title=From Newton to Hawking: A History of Cambridge University's Lucasian Professors of Mathematics |last2=Noakes |first2=Richard |date=2003 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-66310-6 |location= |pages=35 |language=en}}</ref>

[[Charles Babbage|Babbage]] applied for the vacancy in 1826, after [[Thomas Turton|Turton]], but [[George Biddell Airy|Airy]] was appointed. [[William Whewell]] (who considered applying, but preferred both [[William Herschel|Herschel]] and Babbage to himself) remarked that he would be the best professor, but that the heads of the colleges would not see that.  Nonetheless, Babbage was appointed when the chair became free again two years later.<ref name="Todhunter 1876">{{Cite book|author=Isaac Todhunter|title=William Whewell, D. D., Master of Trinity College, Cambridge: An Account of His Writings: with Selections from His Literary and Scientific Correspondence|date=1876|publisher=MacMillan|pages=71ff}}</ref>

The current (19th) Lucasian Professor is [[Michael Cates]], starting from 1 July 2015.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2014-15/weekly/6380/section2.shtml#heading2-7
|title=Cambridge University Reporter No 6380
|date=18 March 2015
|access-date=19 March 2015
}}</ref>
The previous holder of the post was [[theoretical physicist]] [[Michael Green (physicist)|Michael Green]] who was a fellow in [[Clare Hall, Cambridge|Clare Hall]]. He was appointed in October 2009,<ref>{{cite web |title=Stephen Hawking's successor as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics: Michael Green |url=http://timesonline.typepad.com/science/2009/10/stephen-hawkings-successor-as-lucasian-professor-of-mathematics-michael-green.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218002526/http://timesonline.typepad.com/science/2009/10/stephen-hawkings-successor-as-lucasian-professor-of-mathematics-michael-green.html |work=timesonline.typepad.com |date=20 October 2009 |archive-date=18 February 2010 |access-date=9 July 2017}}</ref> succeeding [[Stephen Hawking]], who himself retired in September 2009, in the year of his 67th birthday, as required by the university.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cambridgeshire/8282358.stm
|title=Hawking gives up academic title
|work=[[BBC News]]
|date=30 September 2009
|access-date=1 October 2009
}}</ref> Green holds the position of [[Emeritus]] Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.

==List of Lucasian professors==

{|class="wikitable"  style="text-align:center" width="750px" align="left"
|- 
! width="5%"  | #
! width="15%" | Year of appointment
! width=80|Portrait
! width="25%" | Name
! width="40%" | Speciality
! width="15%" | Tenure (years)
|-
| 1
| 1663
| [[File:Isaac Barrow by Mary Beale.jpg|80px]]
| [[Isaac Barrow]]<br/><small>(1630–1677)</small>
| Classics and mathematics
| 6
|-
| 2
| 1669
| [[File:GodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpg|80px]]
| [[Isaac Newton]]<br/><small>(1643–1727)</small>
| Mathematics and physics
| 33
|-
| 3
| 1702
| [[File:William Whiston by Sarah Hoadly.jpg|80px]]
| [[William Whiston]]<br/><small>(1667–1752)</small>
| Mathematics
| 9
|-
| 4
| 1711
| [[File:Nicolas Saunderson.jpg|80px]]
| [[Nicholas Saunderson]]<br/><small>(1682–1739)</small>
| Mathematics
| 28
|-
| 5
| 1739
| [[File:John Colson by John Wollaston.jpg|80px]]
| [[John Colson]]<br/><small>(1680–1760)</small>
| Mathematics
| 21
|-
| 6
| 1760
| [[File:Edwardwaring.jpg|80px]]
| [[Edward Waring]]<br/><small>(1736–1798)</small>
| Mathematics
| 38
|-
| 7
| 1798
| [[File:Isaac Milner by Johann Gottlieb Facius, 1798 (cropped).png|80px]]
| [[Isaac Milner]]<br/><small>(1750–1820)</small>
| Mathematics and chemistry
| 22
|-
| 8
| 1820
| [[File:No image.png|80px]]
| [[Robert Woodhouse]]<br/><small>(1773–1827)</small>
| Mathematics
| 2
|-
| 9
| 1822
| [[File:Thomas Turton by HW Pickersgill.jpg|80px]]
| [[Thomas Turton]]<br/><small>(1780–1864)</small>
| Mathematics
| 4
|-
| 10
| 1826
| [[File:George Biddell Airy 1891.jpg|80px]]
| [[George Biddell Airy]]<br/><small>(1801–1892)</small>
| Astronomy
| 2
|-
| 11
| 1828
| [[File:Charles Babbage - 1860.jpg|80px]]
| [[Charles Babbage]]<br/><small>(1791–1871)</small>
| Mathematics and computing
| 11
|-
| 12
| 1839
| [[File:Joshua King by William Beechey.jpg|80px]]
| [[Joshua King (mathematician)|Joshua King]]<br/><small>(1798–1857)</small>
| Mathematics
| 10
|-
| 13
| 1849
| [[File:Ggstokes.jpg|80px]]
| [[George Gabriel Stokes]]<br/><small>(1819–1903)</small>
| Physics and fluid mechanics
| 54
|-
| 14
| 1903
| [[File:Joseph Larmor.jpeg|80px]]
| [[Joseph Larmor]]<br/><small>(1857–1942)</small>
| Physics
| 29
|-
| 15
| 1932
| [[File:Paul Dirac, 1933.jpg|80px]]
| [[Paul Dirac]]<br/><small>(1902–1984)</small>
| Mathematical & Theoretical Physics
| 37
|-
| 16
| 1969
|
| [[James Lighthill]]<br/><small>(1924–1998)</small>
| Fluid mechanics
| 10
|-
| 17
| 1979
| [[File:Stephen Hawking.StarChild.jpg|80px]]
| [[Stephen Hawking]]<br/><small>(1942–2018)</small>
| Theoretical physics and cosmology
| 30
|-
| 18
| 2009
| [[File:No image.png|80px]] 
| [[Michael Green (physicist)|Michael Green]]<br/><small>(born 1946)</small>
| String theory
| 6
|-
| 19
| 2015 
| [[File:Mike-cates.jpg|80px]] 
| [[Michael Cates]]<br/><small>(born 1961)</small>
| Statistical mechanics of soft condensed matter
| current
|}
{{clear}}

==Cultural references==
In the [[All Good Things... (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|final episode]] of the science-fiction television series ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', one of the main characters, the [[android (robot)|android]] [[Data (Star Trek)|Data]], holds the Lucasian Chair in the late 24th century, albeit in an alternate reality.<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://theconversation.com/from-newton-to-hawking-and-beyond-a-short-history-of-the-lucasian-chair-40967
| title = From Newton to Hawking and beyond: a short history of the Lucasian Chair
| last = Orrman-Rossiter
| first = Kevin
| website = The Conversation
| date = 18 June 2015
| access-date = 2016-02-25
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://als-ny.org/blog/michael-zaslow-first-redshirt-on-star-trek-the-original-series-died-11-years-ago-from-als/
| title = Michael Zaslow, First "Redshirt" on Star Trek, The Original Series, Died 11 Years Ago from ALS.
| website = The ALS Association Greater New York Chapter
| language = en-US
| access-date = 2016-02-25
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://phys.org/news/2014-03-video-theory-scaled.html
| title = Video: How String Theory scaled up
| website = phys.org
| access-date = 2016-02-25
}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Kevin Knox and Richard Noakes, ''From Newton to Hawking: A History of Cambridge University's Lucasian Professors of Mathematics'' {{isbn|0-521-66310-5}}

{{Lucasian Professors of Mathematics}}

[[Category:1663 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Lucasian Professors of Mathematics| ]]
[[Category:Professorships at the University of Cambridge]]
[[Category:Faculty of Mathematics, University of Cambridge]]
[[Category:Professorships in mathematics]]
[[Category:Mathematics education in the United Kingdom]]