Benjamin Peirce
Benjamin Peirce
Born	4 April 1809(1809-04-04)
Died	6 October 1880 (aged 71)
Nationality	American
Fields	mathematics
Institutions	Harvard University
Alma mater	Harvard University
Known for	celestial mechanics

Benjamin Peirce (pronounced /ˈpɜrs/ purse^[1], (April 4, 1809 – October 6, 1880) was an American mathematician who taught at Harvard University for about fifty years. He made contributions to celestial mechanics, number theory, algebra, and the philosophy of mathematics.

After graduating from Harvard, he remained as a tutor (1829), and was subsequently appointed professor of mathematics in 1831. He added astronomy to his portfolio in 1842, and remained as Harvard professor until his death. In addition, he was instrumental in the development of Harvard's science curriculum, served as the college librarian, and was director of the U.S. Coast Survey from 1867 to 1874.

In number theory, he proved there is no odd perfect number with fewer than four prime factors.

In algebra, he was notable for the study of associative algebras. He first introduced the terms idempotent and nilpotent in 1870 to describe elements of these algebras, and he also introduced the Peirce decomposition.

In the philosophy of mathematics, he became known for the statement that "Mathematics is the science that draws necessary conclusions",^[2] and believed, along with George Boole, that mathematics could be used to analyze logic. This was in opposition to the program of Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell to base mathematics on logic.^{[citation needed]}

He was an expert witness in the Howland will forgery trial. His analysis of the signature in question showed that it resembled another particular handwriting example so closely that the chances of such a match were statistically extremely remote.

As a person he was devoutly Christian, seeing "mathematics as study of God's work by God's creatures."^{[citation needed]}

He married Sarah Hunt Mills, the daughter of U.S. Senator Elijah Hunt Mills.^[3] They produced three sons and a daughter: Charles Sanders Peirce a famous logician, James Mils Peirce, who also taught mathematics at Harvard, and Herbert Henry Davis Peirce, who worked for Herter Brothers.

Contents 1 Eponyms 2 Works 3 Notes 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Eponyms

The lunar crater Peirce is named for Peirce.

[edit] Works

• Physical and Celestial Mathematics, (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1855)
• An Elementary Treatise on Plane and Spherical Trigonometry (1861)
• Linear Associative Algebra (1880)

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• F. P. Matz, "B. O. Pierce: Biography," American Mathematical Monthly, 1895, № 2, 173-179.
• S. R. Peterson, "Benjamin Peirce: Mathematician and Philosopher," Journal of the History of Ideas, 16, 1955, 89–112.
• P. Meier and S. Zaibel, "Benjamin Pierce and the Howland Will", Journal of the American Statistical Association, 75, 1980, 497–506.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Benjamin Peirce

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Benjamin Peirce

• Grattan-Guinness, Ivor, and Walsh, Alison (2005), "Benjamin Peirce", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Eprint.
• O'Connor, John J., and Robertson, Edmund F. (2005), "Benjamin Peirce", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, Eprint.
• Peirce, Benjamin. "Linear Associative Algebra". American Journal of Mathematics (Vol. 4, No. 1., pp97-229. (1881). http://www.jstor.org/stable/2369153.  JSTOR.
• Peirce, Benjamin. "Linear Associative Algebra", Van Nostrand, New York, 1882.