Person
Carslaw, Horatio Scott (1870 - 1954)
- Born
- 12 February 1870
Helensburgh, Dumbartonshire, Scotland - Died
- 11 November 1954
Burradoo, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Mathematician
Summary
Horatio Carslaw was a mathematician whose most enduring and important work in mathematics was in the theory of conduction of heat. In this field he published the ground-breaking Introduction to the theory of Fourier's series and integrals and the mathematical theory of the conduction of heat (1906). In all he published over 70 papers and ten books including, with J. C. Jaeger, Conduction of heat in solids (1947, 2nd edition 1959) and Operational methods in applied mathematics (1941, 2nd edition 1948). In 1903 Carslaw became Professor of Pure and Applied Mathematics at the University of Sydney, from which position he retired in 1935. His interest in the quality of secondary school mathematical education caused him to participate in negotiations for the reform of the public examination system in New South Wales. This led to his membership of the first board of examiners established under A.C. Carmichael's University (Amendment) Act 1912 and he was chief examiner of mathematics for the next 30 years.
Details
Chronology
- 1891
- Education - Master of Arts (MA), University of Glasgow, Scotland
- 1894
- Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Cambridge
- 1896 - 1897
- Life event - Studied at the University of Göttingen, Germany
- 1896 - 1903
- Career position - Assistant Lecturer in Mathematics, University of Glasgow, Scotland
- 1898
- Education - Master of Arts (MA), University of Cambridge
- 1899 - 1905
- Career position - Fellow, Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge
- 1903 - 1935
- Career position - Professor of Pure and Applied Mathematics, University of Sydney
- 1903 - 1954
- Award - Fellow, Royal Society of New South Wales
- 1908
- Education - Doctor of Science (ScD), University of Cambridge
- 1913
- Career position - President, Section A (Astronomy, Mathematics and Physcis), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science
- 1919 -
- Career position - Foundation Councillor (Mathematics), Australian National Research Council
- 1926
- Award - Honorary Doctorate, University of Adelaide
- 1928
- Award - Honorary Doctorate, University of Glasgow, Scotland
- 1937
- Career event - Fellow, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS)
Related entries
Archival resources
Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science
Published resources
Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions
- Exhibition Papers, A Bright Sparcs Exhibition, Australian Science Archives Project, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/papers/exhib_papers.htm. Details
- Smith, Ailie, Adolph Basser Library Manuscript Collection, eScholarship Research Centre, 2012, http://www.eoas.info/basser_browse.html. Details
Books
- Carslaw, H. S., The Teaching of Mathematics in Australia (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1914). Details
Book Sections
- Deakin, Michael A. B., 'Horatio Scott Carslaw, 1870-1954' in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004). Details
- Jaeger, J. C., 'Carslaw, Horatio Scott (1870-1954), mathematician' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1979), pp. 578-579. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070583b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- Jaeger, J. C., 'Horatio Scott Carslaw', Australian Mathematics Teacher, 11 (1955), 59-66. Details
- Jaeger, J. C., 'Horatio Scott Carslaw', Journal of the London Mathematical Society, S1-31 (4) (1956), 494-501, https://londmathsoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1112/jlms/s1-31.4.494. Details
- Petrow, Stefan, 'Godfather of Tasmania: commemorating Abel Tasman 1838 to 2012', Journal of Australian studies, 38 (2) (2014), 157 - 174, https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2014.890636. Details
- Smith-White, W.B., 'H. S. Carslaw - His Work in Analysis', The Australian Mathematics Teacher, 11 (1955), 67-68. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1627989. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/76379482. Details
- 'Carslaw, H S (1870-1954)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-552881. Details
Resource Sections
- 'Carslaw, Horatio Scott - Ms 3', in Listing of Adolph Basser Library holdings, Australian Academy of Science, 1994, http://www.science.org.au/basser/manuscript-collection/ms003.html. Details
- 'Carslaw, Horatio Scott', in Physics in Australia to 1945, R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham, Australian Science Archives Project, June 1995, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/physics/P000297p.htm. Details
See also
- Cohen, Graeme L., 'A bibliography of Australian mathematics to 1960 with observations relating to the history of Australian mathematics', 31 (1) (2020), 17-25. https://doi.org/10/1071/HR19008. Details
- Heyde, C. C., 'Patrick Alfred Pierce Moran 1917-1988', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (1) (1992), 17-30. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9920910017. Details
- Mellor, D.P., 'Optical Munitions', Chapter 12 in Australia in the War of 1939-1945, Series 4: Civil, volume 5 'The Role of Science and Industry', Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1958 (1958). http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/papers/mellor.htm. Details
Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 23 January 2024
- Foundation Supporter - Committee to Review Australian Studies in Tertiary Education