Henry Parr Hamilton (1794–1880) and analytical geometry at Cambridge

Abstract

Scots-born Henry Parr Hamilton played a significant role in the revival of mathematical teaching in Cambridge. Following the promotion of the differential calculus by Herschel, Babbage and Peacock, he wrote influential texts on analytical geometry and on conic sections. This work is examined, and his biography is outlined. Later, he abandoned mathematics for religious affairs in the Church of England, becoming dean of Salisbury Cathedral.