Fairfax+Somerville,+Mary

=Biography:=

Mary Fairfax Somerville, born 1780 in Roxburghshire, Scotland, was one of the most important scientists of the 19th century. Although she was female, she managed to break out of the boundaries of traditional women and make a name for herself as a scientist and mathematician. Early on in her life, Mary had little formal schooling. She spent one year in boarding school at age 10, and was miserable. However, she was very curious and always was looking to learn. She discovered algebra after seeing a math problem in a magazine and convinced her younger brother’s tutor to buy her math books. Mary’s family did not support her love of learning and math. This continued when Mary married her cousin Samuel Greig in 1804, who frowned on female education. He died after 3 years of marriage, leaving her a considerable inheritance she used for studying. Mary’s second marriage in 1812, to William Somerville, was more favorable. William was very supportive, introducing her to many famous mathematicians. With this support she published her first scientific paper in 1826, “Magnetic Properties of the Violet Rays of the Solar Spectrum.” It was praised and introduced her as a skilled scientific writer. Mary went on to publish books after that, all of which were very popular. She was given memberships to many mathematical and scientific societies. She moved to Italy when her husband’s health started failing and continued to write books and publish papers. One of Mary’s goals was to bring math to the general public for everyone to understand. She was also a big supporter of women’s education and suffrage, signing petitions for women’s right to vote. Mary died in 1872 in Naples, Italy at the age of 92. She was remembered as one of the greatest scientists, male or female, of the 19th century.

= = =Scientific Contributions:= Mary Fairfax Somerville wrote several important textbooks in her lifetime, all of which were greatly praised. Her first book, in 1827, was a translation of two famous science books (Laplace’s //Mecanique Celeste// and Newton’s //Principia//) into English. It became her most famous book and it was used as a textbook for almost a century. Her second book, “Connection of the Physical Sciences,” led to her being the first women elected to the Royal Astronomical Society. She published her third book “Physical Geography” at age 68 and her last book “Molecular and Microscopic Science” at age 89. All were used as higher-level textbooks for years after her death. Somerville was a member of many societies such as the American Geographical and Statistical Society, and the Royal Geographic Society, which awarded her a Victoria Gold Medal in 1870. She also wrote many successful papers for various scientific journals even as she got older. One of her most famous accomplishment was her discussion in her second book about a possible planet existing after Uranus. This led to John Couch Adam’s investigation and discovery of Neptune. Because of her scientific contributions, Somerville College was named after her, and Sir Edward Barry named a small arctic island after her.  Mary Fairfax Somerville was also a mentor for many young female scientists and mathematicians, including Ada Lovelace. She was very involved in women’s rights movements and spreading the word about education for women. She proved that a woman could be just make just as many contributions to the scientific world as a man could.

Citations:

Gillispie, Charles C. "Mary Fairfax Somerville." __Dictionary of Scientific Biography Vol. 2__. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons: 1980. "Mary Fairfax Somerville." __Firstfoot.com.__ 1 Firstfoot.com. 23 Feb. 2008 http://www.firstfoot.com/Great%20Scot/somerville.htm. Mishna, Marni. "Women In Math-Mary Fairfax Somerville." __mathNEWS__. 1997. __The Best of mathNEWS__. 23 Feb. 2008 http://www.mathnews.uwaterloo.ca/BestOf/WomenInMath7105.html. O'Connor, J. J, and E. F. Robertson. "Mary Fairfax Greig Somerville." __MacTutor.__ 19 Nov. 1999. University of St. Andrews. 23 Feb. 2008 http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Somerville.html. Riddle, Larry. "Mary Fairfax Somerville." __Biographies of Women Mathematicians.__ 19 Dec. 2006. Agnes Scott College. 23 Feb. 2008 http://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/somer.htm.