Person: Maddison, Ada Isabel
Isabel Maddison was an English mathematician best known for her work on differential equations.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- Isabel Maddison entered University College in Cardiff in 1885.
- A fellow student who matriculated at Girton at the same time as Maddison was Grace Chisholm (later Grace Chisholm Young).
- Maddison attended lectures at Cambridge by Cayley, Whitehead and Young, and she earned a First Class degree in the Mathematical Tripos examinations of 1892 although at this time women could not formally receive a degree at Cambridge.
- After Maddison completed her studies at Cambridge in 1892 she was awarded a scholarship which enabled her to spend the year 1892-93 at Bryn Mawr College undertaking research with Scott.
- Maddison had, like Scott, become interested in linear algebra through the influence of Cayley at Cambridge.
- When she first reached Bryn Mawr College, Maddison continued to work on this topic but later, advised by Scott, she began to work on singular solutions of differential equations.
- Although she had earned the equivalent of a First Class degree at Cambridge, Maddison still had no degree so she took the external examinations of the University of London in 1893 which allowed her to graduate with a B.Sc. with honours.
- Maddison attended lectures by Klein, Hilbert and Burkhardt during her year at Göttingen where she played a full part in the exciting mathematical atmosphere of the department.
- In 1895 Maddison returned to Bryn Mawr College to take up the position of assistant to the president of the College, Carey Thomas, as Martha Carey Thomas preferred to be known.
- Until 1902 Carey Thomas held both the position of dean and of president so Maddison had a busy life as her assistant.
- Maddison remained at Bryn Mawr until she retired in 1926.
- After Maddison retired she returned to England for a time but later went back to Pennsylvania where she spent time writing poetry rather than mathematics.
Born 13 April 1869, Cumberland, England. Died 22 October 1950, Martin's Dam, Wayne, Pennsylvania, USA.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin England, Women
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
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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
