Isaac Barrow(1630-1677)

Isaac Barrow was an English geometer and theologian. Barrow was born in London England in October 1630, and died on May 4, 1677 in London England. Barrow’s father, Thomas was a linen draper and his mother Anne died after Barrow was born. Barrow attended Charterhouse school as a boy, and wasn’t know for his academic standing until he attended Felsted in Essex, where he studied Greek, French, Hebrew, Latin, Logic, rhetoric under strict discipline. Isaac Barrow got accepted to Trinity College (Cambridge) in 1643. Barrow was elected class college fellow in 1649, he completed a M.A in 1652 and he earned a B.A by the time he graduated in 1648. Barrow was a small, wiry, blunt man, and had excellent health, until he ended his own life by a drug overdose at age 47. Barrow never married or had children.

Barrow left England around 1655, he traveled for five years to France, Italy, and, Turkey on a scholarship and the money he got from selling his books. Barrow ran into other scientists and mathematicians like himself, which later inspired him. Barrow came back to England in 1660, and was made Lucasian Professor of mathematics at Cambridge in 1663. The Lucasian chair is a representation of the world’s progress in mathematics. The Lucasian chair was created in 1663 and only 17 people have ever held the title of the Lucasian Chair, Barrow had the honor to be the first. The Lucasian Chair was a gift from Henry Lucas, for the university of Cambridge. Stephen Hawking is the holder of the Lucasian Chair today.

In 1669 barrow gave the chair to Sir Isaac Newton, and left the Trinity college. Barrow became a professor at Gresham College and lectured on geometry. Barrow later became royal chaplain in London and studied theology. In 1675 Barrow returned to Trinity college by Kings request and became universities vice-chancellor.

Barrow developed, “the method of finding the point of refraction at a plane interface and the point construction of the diacaustic of a spherical interface” (pg. 37 Notable Mathematicians, Robyn V. Young). Barrow’s first published book was Euclidis Elementorum Libri Xva translation of Euclid. Pocket size Euclid books were made for the public.

Barrow received no credit for teaching Newton. It is said that Newton’s discoveries were originally works of Barrow’s and that Barrow could not keep up with Newton. Isaac Barrow played a big impact on Math and Science and is an original, but had a hard time keeping his name clean, because of his beliefs and large mouth. Isaac Barrow died in 1677, because of a drug overdose.