James MacCullagh (1809 – 24 October 1847) was an Irish mathematician.
Born in Landahaussy, near Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland, he was a fellow of Trinity College Dublin and a contemporary there of William Rowan Hamilton. Although he worked mostly on optics, he is best remembered for his work on geometry; he published his most significant work On surfaces of the second order in 1843.
In Passages from the Life of a Philosopher, Charles Babbage wrote that MacCullagh was "an excellent friend of mine" and discussed the benefits and drawbacks of the analytical engine with him.
MacCullagh died in Dublin at his own hand, perhaps depressed by what he saw as the decline of his mathematical powers.
In May 2009, an Ulster History Circle plaque was unveiled at his family tomb at St Patrick's Church. The plaque was part of events organised by the Glenelly Historical Society to mark his life.
See also
External links
- O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "James MacCullagh", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive.
- James MacCullagh's Collected works at the Internet Archive
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