Person: Edgeworth, Francis Ysidro
Francis Edgeworth was an Irish-born statistician who examined correlation and methods of estimating correlation coefficients in a series of papers.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- Richard Lovell Edgeworth had an estate at Edgeworthstown, northwest of Dublin, and it was on this estate that Edgeworth was born.
- Francis Ysidro Edgeworth was originally named Ysidro Francis Edgeworth but transposed his forenames.
- At this stage in his life Edgeworth had no particular interest in mathematics.
- One important influence from this period was Jevons who was a friend and near-neighbour of Edgeworth.
- The surprising part is that somewhere in this varied career Edgeworth studied mathematics.
- Most of his work could be said to be applications of mathematical psychics which Edgeworth saw as analogous to mathematical physics.
- Edgeworth published Methods of Statistics in 1885 which presented an exposition of the application and interpretation of significance tests for the comparison of means.
- In 1891 Edgeworth left London to take up the Drummond Chair of Political Economy at Oxford.
- Another event of significance in 1891 was that the Economic Journal began publication with Edgeworth as its first editor.
- This journal was the publication of the Royal Economic Society which had been set up in 1890 with Edgeworth appointed as secretary to the Society.
- In 1892 Edgeworth examined correlation and methods of estimating correlation coefficients in a series of papers.
- Edgeworth's work was to influence Pearson although bad feeling developed between the two and later Pearson was to deny Edgeworth's influence.
- Whenever you see that k call to mind dear old Edgeworth.
Born 8 February 1845, Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland. Died 13 February 1926, Oxford, England.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin Ireland, Statistics
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
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- @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
