![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/William_Rowan_Hamilton_portrait_oval_combined.png/640px-William_Rowan_Hamilton_portrait_oval_combined.png&w=640&q=50)
William Rowan Hamilton
Irish mathematician and astronomer (1805–1865) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about William Rowan Hamilton?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Sir William Rowan Hamilton FRAS PRIA (3/4 August 1805 – 2 September 1865)[1][2] was an Irish mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. He was Andrews Professor of Astronomy at Trinity College Dublin and Director of the Dunsink Observatory.
William Rowan Hamilton | |
---|---|
![]() | |
President of the Royal Irish Academy | |
In office 1837–1846 | |
Preceded by | Bartholomew Lloyd |
Succeeded by | Humphrey Lloyd |
In office 1827–1865 | |
Preceded by | John Brinkley |
Succeeded by | Franz Brünnow |
Personal details | |
Born | 3 or 4 August 1805 Dublin, Ireland |
Died | 2 September 1865(1865-09-02) (aged 60) Dublin, Ireland |
Spouse |
Helen Marie Bayly (m. 1833) |
Children | 3, including William Edwin Hamilton |
Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin |
Known for | See list
|
Awards | Cunningham Medal (1834 and 1848) Royal Medal (1835) Knight Bachelor (1835) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Mathematics Astronomy Physics |
Institutions | Trinity College Dublin Dunsink Observatory |
Academic advisors | John Brinkley |
Hamilton was Dunsink's third director, having worked there from 1827 to 1865. His career included the study of geometrical optics, Fourier analysis, and quaternions, the last of which made him one of the founders of modern linear algebra.[3] He has made major contributions in optics, classical mechanics, and abstract algebra. His work is fundamental to modern theoretical physics, particularly his reformulation of Newtonian mechanics. Hamiltonian mechanics including its Hamilitonian function are now central both to electromagnetism and quantum mechanics.