David Gregory
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- For the reporter, see David Gregory (journalist)
David Gregory (June 3, 1659—October 10, 1708) was a Savilian Professor of astronomy at Oxford and a commentator on Isaac Newton's Principia.
Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the nephew of James Gregory, Gregory studied at Marischal College, part of the University of Aberdeen, from 1671 and 1675, beginning when he was only 12 years old. (There is, however, no evidence that he received a degree.) After his university studies, still only 16 years old, Gregory visited several countries on the continent and did not return to Scotland until 1683. At the age of 24 he was appointed professor of mathematics at the University of Edinburgh.
In 1690, during a period of political and religious unrest in Scotland, Gregory decided to leave for England where, in 1691, he was elected Savilian Professor at Oxford, due in large part to the influence of Isaac Newton. The same year he was elected to be a Fellow of the Royal Society.
External links
- Mathematicians: David Gregory (http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Gregory_David.html)
- Significant Scots: David Gregory (http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/gregory_david.htm)
- Papers of David Gregory (http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/news/0210dgr.html)