Person: Basset, Alfred Barnard
Alfred Barnard Basset was an English mathematician who worked on algebraic geometry, electrodynamics and hydrodynamics.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- He became a wealthy man as a partner in the firm Basset and Harris who were corn factors undertaking international trade in grain.
- Basset was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1879 and he became a Equity Draftsman and Conveyancer.
- Fledborough Hall, the seat of Alfred Barnard Basset, esq.
- The 'classical' hydrodynamics had at that time a great fascination for a number of rising mathematicians, and Basset's own contributions in this kind to the Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, the London Mathematical Society, and the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London were of distinct merit.
- In 1893 Basset wrote Publication of scientific papers where he gave his ideas about publishing.
- In 1888 Basset gave an historical introduction to hydrodynamics in his book A treatise on hydrodynamics, with numerous examples (1888).
- This 2-volume 1888 text by Basset was the first of five books which he wrote.
- It is very much to Basset's credit that this work was of such quality that the 2-volume monograph was reprinted in 1961, 73 years after it was first published, by Dover Publications, New York.
- Basset wrote a second work on hydrodynamics, An elementary treatise on hydrodynamics and sound (1890), which was not intended, as the 1888 monograph had been, as a record of the current state of progress in the topic but this second work was intended for students of the mathematical tripos at Cambridge.
- Later in his life Basset became interested in pure mathematical topics and published papers on geometry as well as two textbooks.
- Basset's fifth and final book was A treatise on the geometry of surfaces (1910).
- In 1889 Basset was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London.
Born 25 July 1854, London, England. Died 5 December 1930, Fledborough Hall, Holyport, Berkshire, England.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin England
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
- Github:
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- non-Github:
- @J-J-O'Connor
- @E-F-Robertson
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
