Papers of Percy Alexander MacMahon

This material is held atSt John's College Library Special Collections, University of Cambridge

Scope and Content

Unpublished manuscript papers of Percy Alexander MacMahon, including works by Sir Charles Moore Watson (1844-1916).

Administrative / Biographical History

Mathematician noted especially for his work on combinatorics and the partitions of numbers. MacMahon was a student at Cheltenham College, 1868-1870. In 1871, he was admitted to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He saw service in India and Malta throughout the 1870s. Between 1882 and 1888, MacMahon was Instructor in Mathematics at the Royal Military Academy. He retired from the military in 1898 and concentrated subsequently on mathematics. MacMahon was the President of the London Mathematical Society from 1894 to 1896; became a member of St John's College, Cambridge, in 1904, and a resident member of the College in 1922. Other notable achievements include fellowship of the Royal Society (1890); the Royal Society Royal Medal (1900), the Sylvester Medal (1919), and the Morgan Medal by the London Mathematical Society (1923).

Access Information

Open for consultation

Acquisition Information

The mathematical papers of Percy Alexander MacMahon were presented to St John's College in 1936 by the Rev. W. P. W. MacMahon. Previously filed as MS U.18.

Note

Mathematician noted especially for his work on combinatorics and the partitions of numbers. MacMahon was a student at Cheltenham College, 1868-1870. In 1871, he was admitted to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He saw service in India and Malta throughout the 1870s. Between 1882 and 1888, MacMahon was Instructor in Mathematics at the Royal Military Academy. He retired from the military in 1898 and concentrated subsequently on mathematics. MacMahon was the President of the London Mathematical Society from 1894 to 1896; became a member of St John's College, Cambridge, in 1904, and a resident member of the College in 1922. Other notable achievements include fellowship of the Royal Society (1890); the Royal Society Royal Medal (1900), the Sylvester Medal (1919), and the Morgan Medal by the London Mathematical Society (1923).

Preferred citation: St John's College Library, Papers of Percy Alexander MacMahon

Archivist's Note

29 Feb 2016

Additional Information

Published